Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsi has accused the military chief who deposed him of treason.
In a message from prison read by lawyers, Mr Morsi said the country could not return to stability until the coup was reversed and those behind it were put on trial.
The statement was part of a bid by the former president to rally his supporters since his emergence from the secret military detention where he had been held, with virtually no contact with the outside world, since his removal on July 3.
“What happened was a military coup in every way, and to achieve stability in the country, and for national reconciliation, all the people should agree that this coup is a crime and treason,” the statement read out by lawyer Mohamed el-Damati said.
“A crime because the defence minister did not follow the law regarding the deployment of the armed forces, and treason to God because he did not honour the oath he took, and he betrayed the constitution and the Egyptian people.”
Mr Morsi was moved to a regular prison last week after the first session of his trial on charges of inciting murder.
There, he had his first extensive meeting with a team of lawyers from his Muslim Brotherhood and other allies on Tuesday.
But he is emerging to a dramatically changed situation from four months ago.
Since then, a fierce crackdown by security forces has crippled the Brotherhood – several thousand top leaders have been arrested, and hundreds have been killed.
The new military-backed government is pushing ahead with a transition plan aiming for new presidential and parliamentary elections early next year.
Under the crackdown, protests by Mr Morsi’s supporters have dwindled and have been reduced to small gatherings, mainly inside universities.
Security officials, however, worry the protests could flare up again with the anticipated lifting on Wednesday or Thursday of a three-month-old state of emergency and curfew.
In his trial, the former president has so far refused to accept legal representation, insisting he remains the elected president and the tribunal against him is illegitimate.
He has until the next session of the trial, on January 8, to decide.