Court postpones Mursi's trial over insulting judiciary to Sept 22

Saturday 02-07-2016 03:34 PM

Former President Mohamed Mursi during one of his trials. REUTERS (Archive)

CAIRO, Jul 2 (Aswat Masriya) - The Cairo Criminal court adjourned on Saturday the trial of former president Mohamed Mursi and 24 others on charges of insulting the judiciary to Sept 22.

The list of defendants include lawyers, journalists, activists and members of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

They are accused of using hateful phrases of contempt against judicial authorities and of publicly insulting the judiciary, during televised interviews and on social media.

On the case, Mursi stands accused of insulting Judge Ali al-Nemr in a speech that dates back to Jun. 26 2013,  during his tenure as president. Back then, Mursi accused al-Nemr of rigging the 2005 parliamentary elections.

An investigation revealed that Mursi’s claims were not backed by facts.

Since his ouster, Mursi was featured in several trials where he faced an array of charges including espionage, inciting to kill protesters outside the presidential palace during his tenure, and escaping prison during the January 2011 Uprising.

Last June, Mursi received a 40 year prison sentence in a case dubbed as the "Qatar espionage case". He was  accused, along with 10 others, of leaking important national security documents and information on the Egyptian Armed Forces to Qatar during his tenure. 

Mursi was ousted by the military in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule.

Egyptian authorities have led a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood leaders and supporters, who have often found themselves behind bars or facing court cases. 

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