The Cairo Criminal Court adjourned the verdict of former president Mohamed Morsi and 24 other defendants, which include some of Morsi’s political opponents and some supporters, to 30 December in the “insulting judiciary” case.
The defendants are facing charges of inciting demonstrations, defaming judicial personnel through the usage of communication tools, and attempting to topple the state using Twitter accounts.
The case includes rights activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, political figures Amr Hamzawy, Hamdy Al-Fakhrany, and Mostafa Al-Naggar, along with journalist Abdel Halim Qandil.
Morsi is being tried in several other cases, including those related to espionage and purported violence used at the Itihadiya Palace. In June 2015, he was found guilty in the jailbreak case and received a death penalty.
According to Egypt’s penal code, insulting the judiciary is included under the provision of “assault on public officials while doing their job.” The penalty of this charge ranges from six months to one year in prison, and a fine between EGP 200 and EGP 500.
Morsi came to power in 2013. He was the first democratically elected president to Egypt following the 25 January Revolution. He took office as president for one year, before mass protests took to the streets on 30 June against him, which led to his ouster by the armed forces on 3 July.
Following his ouster, violent clashes between his supporters and security forces increased, reaching their peak following the violent dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweyya sit-in on 14 August 2013. The protesters demanded Morsi be returned to his post as the legitimate president of Egypt, describing the 3 July events as a military coup.
