(AFP Photo)
By Fatma Khaled
While some political groups demand former president Mohamed Morsi’s release from detention, others have rebuked the United States for “interfering” in what they say is a sovereign issue.
According to the leader of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party Mohamed Nour Farahat, who is also a constitutional expert, Morsi should be formally charged or released.
“No one should be governed except by the law, and Morsi’s trial by the revolutionary youths should be based on incriminating acts he has committed during his presidential period. Otherwise, currently detaining him is deemed illegal,” said Farahat in a statement on Sunday.
Farahat acknowledge that Morsi could legitimately be detained as a precautionary measure, but that this should be done in accordance with the law.
The Kefaya movement’s spokesman Abdelrahman Al-Gohary expressed his disapproval for the US’s request for Morsi’s release and its support for the Muslim Brotherhood’s claim that the army carried out a military coup.
“The US has put itself in a weak and critical situation by emphasising that it supports terrorism, while the negative effects of their demand for Morsi’s release falls upon itself solely, because the US will lose allies on the international level,” said Al-Gohary.
Al-Gohary said it was inappropriate for the US to support Morsi’s release while simultaneously recognising that he is currently facing criminal investigation.
He also added that the 30 June protests represented progress for the revolution that empowered the independence of national decisions. He claimed the protests have proved the existence ofUS interference in domestic affairs in Egypt and that the Muslim Brotherhood followed former president Hosni Mubarak’s regime by satisfying US interests.
Al-Gohary called upon interim president Adly Mansour to confirm Egypt’s commitment to the rule of law and requested Mansour to not intervene in judicial proceedings.
Heba Yassin, media coordinator of Al-Tayar Al-Sha’aby (the Popular Current) echoed Al-Gohary’s sentiment saying: “Morsi’s release should be a private matter that prohibits foreign intervention.”
Morsi was ousted on 3 July, following mass demonstrations on 30 June. On Saturday, military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali said Morsi is currently detained in a military facility for “his own safety” and will remain there until the current situation stabilises.
