BBC, AFP
CAIRO — Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is to stand criminal trial for “incitement to murder,” though no trial date has been set, according to Egyptian state television and the AFP.
The charges are related to the deadly clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012, when at least seven people were killed. The BBC recalls that on Dec. 4, tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied outside the building to renounce what they considered abuse of power by then-President Morsi.
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Egyptians protesting against Morsi’s constitutionnal declaration and the draft constitution written mainly by Islamists. Photo: Amru Salahuddien – Xinhua/ZUMA
Fourteen other members of the Muslim Brotherhood are to stand trial on the same charges, including leading figures in the movement’s political wing.
An investigation revealed that Morsi and his aides called on their supporters to deal with the demonstrators, state media said on Sunday. Morsi’s supporters deny it, saying they were defending the palace after being attacked by opposition activists.
The former president is already accused of crimes related to his 2011 escape from prison and has been held at a secret location since his July 3 ouster by the Egyptian Army.