Ex-President Morsi Defiant At trial

Now facing four separate criminal trials on various charges, Egypt’s first freely elected president, Mohammed Morsi, was deposed by the military in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule. During the trial Morsi began shouting that he was still the legitimate president.

Violence continues throughout Egypt and has escalated after Egypt’s top military body gave its backing for army chief Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to run for president.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization and authorities have punished any public showing of support for it. He and 14 other figures from the Muslim Brotherhood face charges of inciting the killing of protesters in clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012, while Morsi was in office.

Morsi’s supporters say he and other senior Brotherhood leaders are the victims of politically motivated prosecutions.