Mursi prison break trial postponed

The Cairo Criminal Court postponed on Wednesday the trial of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and 130 others for escaping from the Wadi al-Natroun prison to November 30.

The Muslim Brotherhood leaders are accused of collaborating with international bodies, the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, to escape prison during the January 25 uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The court postponed the trial to hear the prosecution’s testimony regarding the killing of protesters during the January 2011 uprising, a judicial source said. He added that the prosecution is also expected to provide a copy of a report from the Homeland Security (formerly known as State Security) on the killing of protesters.

Mursi and the 130 other defendants are charged with murder and attempted murder of policemen, torching government buildings, breaking into prison and helping prisoners escape. Some of the defendants, including members of Hamas and Hezbollah, are being tried in absentia.

The former president, ousted since July 2013, is implicated in a group of other court cases. He is being tried for inciting the killing of protesters outside the presidential palace during his tenure in December 2012, insulting the judiciary, and two separate espionage cases.

This content is from :Aswat Masriya
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