(AFP File Photo / Gianluigi Guercia)
Deposed president Mohamed Morsi and several other leading Muslim Brotherhood members appeared in front of the Cairo Criminal Court on Sunday facing charges of inciting the killing of 10 protesters during deadly clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012.
The court heard the testimony of three witnesses for the prosecution, reported state-run Al-Ahram. The trial was adjourned, and is scheduled to resume on 13 May to hear testimony from additional prosecutorial witnesses.
The 15 defendants in the trial, which took place at the Police Academy in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement, include Islamist notables such as Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badie, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) Chairman Saad Al-Katastny, ultraconservative preacher Wagdy Ghoneim, and senior FJP member Mohamed Al-Beltagy.
Originally scheduled for 28 January, the trial has faced repeated delays in the last three months.
Morsi is also the co-defendant in three other trials: escaping from Wadi El-Natrun Prison on 28 January 2011, insulting the judiciary, and for espionage by working with foreign Islamist groups to “create chaos” in Egypt.
On 28 April, Supreme Guide Badie was among 683 defendants to receive a death sentence from the Minya Criminal Court, accused of killing two police officers and breaking into a police station on 14 August. Like many others in the case, he was not in attendance when the sentence was handed down.
The preliminary sentences for the 683 will be passed to Grand Mufti Shawqy Allam for consideration; however, he is not legally required to provide an opinion and any recommendation he makes is not legally binding. His decision is due by 21 June, when the same court will decide whether or not to ratify the sentence.
Morsi has been in custody since his ouster by the military on 3 July. Until his first appearance in court on 4 November, his place of detention was unknown.
