Hundreds of supporters have been sentenced to death since Mohamed Morsi’s removal from power and thousands more detained. (Reuters Photo/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)
Cairo. Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges arising from the killing of protesters on Tuesday, nearly three years after he became Egypt’s first freely elected president.
Morsi stood in a cage in court as judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef read out the ruling against him and 12 other Brotherhood members, including senior figures Mohamed el-Beltagy and Essam el-Erian. The sentencing was broadcast live on state television.
The men were convicted on charges of violence, kidnapping and torture stemming from the killing of protesters during demonstrations in 2012. They were acquitted of murder charges, which carry the death sentence.
A lawyer for some of the defendants said they would appeal.
Displaying a four-finger salute symbolising resistance to the state’s crackdown on Islamists, defendants chanted “God is Greatest” after the verdict was read.
The ruling is the first against Morsi, who says he is determined to reverse what he calls a military coup against him in 2013 staged by then army chief, now president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
“His trial has been a travesty of justice, which has been scripted and controlled by the government and entirely unsupported by evidence,” Amr Darrag, a former minister under Morsi, said in a statement from Istanbul.
Morsi’s son, Osama Morsi, said his father plans a comeback despite the jail sentence
State news agency MENA said Morsi was taken by helicopter from the makeshift courtroom on the outskirts of Cairo to Borg al Arab prison near Alexandria, where he has been held for more than a year.
Morsi faces charges in four other cases including leaking secrets to Qatar, conspiring with the Palestinian militant group Hamas to destabilize Egypt, and organizing a jailbreak during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak.
After toppling Morsi following mass protests against his rule, Sisi proceeded to crush the Brotherhood, which he says is part of a terrorist network that poses an existential threat to the Arab and Western worlds.
The Brotherhood says it is a peaceful movement that will return to office through people power, even though demonstrations have fallen to a trickle.
Deep state
Egypt’s deep state apparatus — the Interior Ministry, intelligence services and army — now appears to have a tighter grip than ever on the most populous Arab nation.
While Morsi has become far less relevant, even within the Brotherhood, Sisi became president after elections last year, winning over many Egyptians who overlooked widespread allegations of human rights abuses for the sake of stability.
Hundreds of supporters have been sentenced to death since Morsi’s removal and thousands more detained.
By contrast, a court in November dropped its case against Mubarak over the killing of protesters in the 2011 uprising that ended his 30-year rule and symbolised hopes for a new era of political openness and accountability.
Mubarak’s sons have been released from jail pending retrial in a corruption case involving his former palaces.
Businessmen who thrived under Mubarak’s era of crony capitalism have regained influence.
Western powers that called for democracy declined to use leverage against Sisi, the latest military man to seize power.
Morsi, who rose through the ranks of the Brotherhood before winning the presidency in 2012, was a polarising figure during his troubled year in office, which followed Mubarak’s fall. His policies alienated secular and liberal Egyptians, who feared that the Brotherhood — the main opposition to Mubarak for decades and popular among many Egyptians for its charity work — was abusing power.
Protests erupted in late 2012 after Morsi issued a decree expanding presidential powers — a move his supporters say was necessary to prevent a judiciary still packed with Mubarak appointees from derailing a fragile political transition.
Those demonstrations led to the deaths of protesters, for which prosecutors argued that Morsi and other Brotherhood leaders were responsible. Morsi and his co-defendants denied the charges.
Reda Sanoussi, the brother of one of the victims, was unhappy with the dismissal of murder charges against Morsi.
“I want to enter the cage and pull out his intestines,” he told Reuters.Morsi faces charges in four other cases including leaking secrets to Qatar, conspiring with the Palestinian militant group Hamas to destabilize Egypt, and organizing a jailbreak during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak.
After toppling Morsi following mass protests against his rule, Sisi proceeded to crush the Brotherhood, which he says is part of a terrorist network that poses an existential threat to the Arab and Western worlds.
The Brotherhood says it is a peaceful movement that will return to office through people power, even though demonstrations have fallen to a trickle.
Deep state
Egypt’s deep state apparatus — the Interior Ministry, intelligence services and army — now appears to have a tighter grip than ever on the most populous Arab nation.
While Morsi has become far less relevant, even within the Brotherhood, Sisi became president after elections last year, winning over many Egyptians who overlooked widespread allegations of human rights abuses for the sake of stability.
Hundreds of supporters have been sentenced to death since Morsi’s removal and thousands more detained.
By contrast, a court in November dropped its case against Mubarak over the killing of protesters in the 2011 uprising that ended his 30-year rule and symbolised hopes for a new era of political openness and accountability.
Mubarak’s sons have been released from jail pending retrial in a corruption case involving his former palaces.
Businessmen who thrived under Mubarak’s era of crony capitalism have regained influence.
Western powers that called for democracy declined to use leverage against Sisi, the latest military man to seize power.
Morsi, who rose through the ranks of the Brotherhood before winning the presidency in 2012, was a polarising figure during his troubled year in office, which followed Mubarak’s fall. His policies alienated secular and liberal Egyptians, who feared that the Brotherhood — the main opposition to Mubarak for decades and popular among many Egyptians for its charity work — was abusing power.
Protests erupted in late 2012 after Morsi issued a decree expanding presidential powers — a move his supporters say was necessary to prevent a judiciary still packed with Mubarak appointees from derailing a fragile political transition.
Those demonstrations led to the deaths of protesters, for which prosecutors argued that Morsi and other Brotherhood leaders were responsible. Morsi and his co-defendants denied the charges.
Reda Sanoussi, the brother of one of the victims, was unhappy with the dismissal of murder charges against Morsi.
“I want to enter the cage and pull out his intestines,” he told Reuters.
Reuters
FRENCH VERSION
Morsi se tenait dans une cage en Cour que juge Ahmed YoussefSabry lecture de l’arrêt à son encontre et de 12 autres membresde la confrérie, dont des personnalités de marque Mohamed el-Beltagy et Essam el-Erian. La condamnation a été retransmis endirect à la télévision d’Etat.
Les hommes ont été reconnus coupables de violences,d’enlèvements, de tortures, découlant de la mise à mort demanifestants lors de manifestations en 2012. Ils ont été acquittésdes accusations de meurtre, qui portent la peine de mort.
Un avocat pour certains des accusés, a déclaré qu’ils ferait appel.
Affichant une résistance symbolisant quatre doigts salute à larépression de l’état des islamistes, accusés scandaient « Dieu estplus grand » après que le verdict a été lu.
La décision est la première contre Morsi, qui dit qu’il estdéterminé à renverser ce qu’il appelle un coup d’État contre luien 2013, mis en scène par le chef de l’armée puis, aujourd’huiPrésident, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
« Son procès a été une parodie de justice, qui a été scénarisée etcontrôlée par le gouvernement et entièrement non étayée par lapreuve, » Amr Darrag, ancien ministre sous Morsi, a déclaré dansun communiqué d’Istanbul.
Fils de Morsi, Osama Morsi, a déclaré que son père envisage unretour malgré la peine de prison
Agence de presse que mena, a déclaré que Morsi a ététransporté par hélicoptère de la salle d’audience improvisée à lapériphérie du Caire, à la prison de Borg al Arab près d’Alexandrie,où il a été détenu pendant plus d’un an de l’État.
Morsi face à des accusations dans quatre autres cas, y compris ladivulgation de secrets au Qatar, conspirant avec le groupemilitant palestinien Hamas pour déstabiliser l’Egypte et enorganisant un jailbreak lors de la révolte de 2011 contre HosniMubarak.
Après avoir renversé Morsi suite à des protestations de massecontre son régime, Sisi a procédé pour écraser la confrérie, qui,dit-il, fait partie d’un réseau terroriste qui pose une menaceexistentielle pour le monde arabe et occidental.
La confrérie dit que c’est un mouvement Pacifique qui retourneraau bureau par le pouvoir du peuple, même si les manifestationssont tombés à un filet.
Etat profond
L’appareil d’état profond de l’Égypte — le ministère de l’intérieur,les services de renseignement et les armée — semble maintenantavoir une prise plus serrée que jamais sur la nation arabe la pluspopuleuse.
Alors que Morsi est devenu beaucoup moins pertinente, mêmeau sein de la confrérie, Sisi devint président après les électionsl’an dernier, gagner beaucoup d’Egyptiens qui ont négligé lesnombreuses allégations de violations des droits de l’homme pour des raisons de stabilité.
Des centaines de supporters ont été condamnés à mort depuisMorsi enlèvement et des milliers de détenus plus.
En revanche, un tribunal en novembre a chuté sa preuve contreMubarak sur le meurtre de manifestants dans le soulèvement de2011 qui a pris fin à son règne de 30 ans et symbolisait lesespoirs d’une nouvelle ère d’ouverture politique et deresponsabilité.
Fils de Mubarak ont été libérés de prison dans l’attente denouveau procès dans une affaire de corruption impliquant sonanciens palais.
Hommes d’affaires qui a prospéré sous l’ère de Mubarak decapitalisme de copinage ont retrouvé l’influence.
Les puissances occidentales qui ont plaidé pour une démocratierefusée d’utiliser le levier contre Sisi, le dernier homme militairepour s’emparer du pouvoir.
Morsi, qui a gravi les échelons de la confrérie avant de remporterla présidence en 2012, était une figure polarisant au cours de sonannée troublée dans le bureau, qui a suivi la chute de Mubarak.Ses politiques aliéné les Egyptiens laïques et libérales, quicraignaient que la fraternité — le principal parti d’opposition àMubarak pendant des décennies et populaire parmi beaucoupd’Egyptiens pour ses oeuvres de charité — abusait du pouvoir.
Protestations ont éclaté fin 2012 après Morsi a publié un décretélargissant les pouvoirs présidentiels — un geste ses partisansdisent était nécessaire pour éviter un système judiciaire encoreemballé avec les personnes nommées par Mubarak de faire dérailler une fragile transition politique.
Ces manifestations ont provoqué la mort de manifestants, pourquels procureurs ont fait valoir que Morsi et autres frèresdirigeants étaient responsables. Morsi et ses coaccusés a nié lesaccusations.
Reda Sanoussi, le frère d’une des victimes, a été malheureux avecle rejet des accusations de meurtre contre Morsi.
« Je veux entrer dans la cage et en sortir ses intestins », il a déclaré à Reuters.
Reuters
