AFP, Cairo :
Ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi along with several secular figures behind Egypt’s 2011 uprising go on trial Saturday, as the authorities press on with a crackdown on all forms of opposition.
The trial for “insulting the judiciary” is the fifth for Morsi, who was sentenced to death last week over a mass prison break during the uprising against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Morsi and other Islamist opponents of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are back in the dock, as well as several liberal and secular opposition leaders. Twenty-six defendants — including even some Sisi supporters — stand accused of contempt of court in comments made in parliament, speeches, on social media or in interviews.
“The crackdown against the opposition is only intensifying and the judiciary is very much at the forefront of this crackdown,” said Shadi Hamid, a fellow at the Brookings Centre for Middle East Policy.
“The trial will be kind of a test case of what the regime is thinking, not just of Islamists but also of the liberal and secular opposition as well.”
Among the defendants is Alaa Abdel Fattah, a top secular activist behind the protests that led to the downfall of president Mubarak.
Already in prison for participating in an “illegal protest” in November 2013, he has been charged over comments on Twitter on 2011 raids on the offices of foreign civil society groups.
Amr Hamzawy, a well-known political science professor and former MP, and human rights lawyer Amir Salem are also among the defendants. Alongside Abdel Fattah, they had called for Morsi’s ouster.
Morsi was toppled by then army chief Sisi in July 2013 after mass street protests against his turbulent year in power. A sweeping government crackdown overseen by Sisi has since left hundreds of Morsi supporters dead in clashes with security forces, thousands jailed and many more sentenced to death after speedy mass trials, described by the United Nations as “unprecedented in recent history”.
Ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi along with several secular figures behind Egypt’s 2011 uprising go on trial Saturday, as the authorities press on with a crackdown on all forms of opposition.
The trial for “insulting the judiciary” is the fifth for Morsi, who was sentenced to death last week over a mass prison break during the uprising against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Morsi and other Islamist opponents of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are back in the dock, as well as several liberal and secular opposition leaders. Twenty-six defendants — including even some Sisi supporters — stand accused of contempt of court in comments made in parliament, speeches, on social media or in interviews.
“The crackdown against the opposition is only intensifying and the judiciary is very much at the forefront of this crackdown,” said Shadi Hamid, a fellow at the Brookings Centre for Middle East Policy.
“The trial will be kind of a test case of what the regime is thinking, not just of Islamists but also of the liberal and secular opposition as well.”
Among the defendants is Alaa Abdel Fattah, a top secular activist behind the protests that led to the downfall of president Mubarak.
Already in prison for participating in an “illegal protest” in November 2013, he has been charged over comments on Twitter on 2011 raids on the offices of foreign civil society groups.
Amr Hamzawy, a well-known political science professor and former MP, and human rights lawyer Amir Salem are also among the defendants. Alongside Abdel Fattah, they had called for Morsi’s ouster.
Morsi was toppled by then army chief Sisi in July 2013 after mass street protests against his turbulent year in power. A sweeping government crackdown overseen by Sisi has since left hundreds of Morsi supporters dead in clashes with security forces, thousands jailed and many more sentenced to death after speedy mass trials, described by the United Nations as “unprecedented in recent history”.
