Egypt : Egypt’s Morsi trial marred by flaws
on 2015/4/27 17:25:05
Egypt

Click to see original Image in a new windowThe Human Rights Watch has criticized Egyptian authorities for conducting an unfair and biased trial for the country's ousted president, saying the prosecution was marred by flaws.

In a statement released on Sunday, the New York-based rights organization said the trial of Mohamed Morsi was "compromised by due process violations, the appearance of bias and an absence of conclusive evidence”.

The prosecution heavily relied on the testimony of military and police officers and appeared to have been politically motivated against Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of HRW's Middle East and North Africa Division, said the case “was founded on the conjecture that Morsi was responsible simply because of his relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood”.

Whitson further accused the prosecutors of neglecting the deaths of Brotherhood supporters in the 2012 clashes and disregarding the failure of security forces to intervene.

Meanwhile, Mohamed al-Damaty, a member of Morsi's defense team, noted that the team was not granted the right to regular consultations with the ousted president.

Another barrister, whose named was not mentioned in reports, also censured the authorities for keeping Morsi inside a soundproof glass barrier, which prevented him from communicating with his lawyers.

On April 21, the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Morsi to 20 years in prison over deaths and torture of demonstrators outside his presidential palace some three years ago.

On December 5, 2012, violent clashes erupted between Morsi’s supporters and opponents in Cairo, leaving at least ten people dead. The fighting broke out after the country’s first democratically-elected president issued a controversial constitutional declaration in November of the same year to expand his powers.

In July 2013, Morsi was ousted in a military coup led by the former head of the armed forces and current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Egypt’s military-backed government has been cracking down on any opposition since Morsi was ousted.

Previous article - Next article Printer Friendly Page Send this Story to a Friend Create a PDF from the article


Other articles
2023/7/22 16:36:35 - Uncertainty looms as negotiations on the US-Kenya trade agreement proceeds without a timetable
2023/7/22 14:48:23 - 40 More Countries Want to Join BRICS, Says South Africa
2023/7/18 14:25:04 - South Africa’s Putin problem just got a lot more messy
2023/7/18 14:17:58 - Too Much Noise Over Russia’s Influence In Africa – OpEd
2023/7/18 12:15:08 - Lagos now most expensive state in Nigeria
2023/7/18 11:43:40 - Nigeria Customs Intercepts Arms, Ammunition From US
2023/7/17 17:07:56 - Minister Eli Cohen: Nairobi visit has regional and strategic importance
2023/7/17 17:01:56 - Ruto Outlines Roadmap for Africa to Rival First World Countries
2023/7/17 16:47:30 - African heads of state arrive in Kenya for key meeting
2023/7/12 16:51:54 - Kenya, Iran sign five MoUs as Ruto rolls out red carpet for Raisi
2023/7/12 16:46:35 - Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Gupta Travels to Kenya and Rwanda
2023/7/2 15:57:52 - We Will Protect Water Catchments
2023/7/2 15:53:49 - Kenya records slight improvement in global peace ranking
2023/7/2 14:33:37 - South Sudan, South Africa forge joint efforts for peace in Sudan
2023/7/2 13:08:02 - Tinubu Ready To Assume Leadership Role In Africa
2023/7/2 11:50:34 - CDP ranks Nigeria, others low in zero-emission race
2023/6/19 16:30:00 - South Africa's Ramaphosa tells Putin Ukraine war must end
2023/6/17 16:30:20 - World Bank approves Sh45bn for Kenya Urban Programme
2023/6/17 16:25:47 - Sudan's military govt rejects Kenyan President Ruto as chief peace negotiatorThe Sudanese military government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has rejected Kenyan President William Ruto's leadership of the "Troika on Sudan."
2023/6/17 16:21:15 - Kenya Sells Record 2.2m Tonnes of Carbon Credits to Saudi Firms

The comments are owned by the author. We aren't responsible for their content.