Egypt's journalists syndicate has called for the death penalty for ousted president Mohamed Morsi, who is being tried on charges of inciting murder.
Civil rights lawyer, Sayed Abu-Zeid, who was appointed by the syndicate, requested that the court trying Morsi sentence the ousted leader and other co-defendants to the maximum penalty, seeking retribution for a journalist killed during violence outside the presidential palace under Morsi's rule.
El-Husseini Abu-Deif, a 33-year-old journalist at the weekly El-Fagr newspaper, was killed along with nine others during clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents outside Cairo's presidential palace in December 2012, after thousands took to the streets in protest over a constitutional decree granting the Islamist leader sweeping powers.
Hundreds of others were injured during the clashes, and footage circulating on social media at the time showed Morsi's supporters torturing and physically abusing anti-Morsi demonstrators.
Abu-Deif became a revolutionary icon during Morsi's turbulent year in power.
Until recently his face was depicted in graffiti on the walls of the journalists syndicate.
At the time of Abu-Deif’s death, the Muslim Brotherhood blamed “thugs” paid by the opposition for his death.
The deposed leader appeared in court earlier on Monday with 14 other senior Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood members on charges related to the killing and torture of protesters during the December clashes at the presidential palace.
The case was adjourned until 8 January 2014 to allow prosecution and defence to examine documents. The judge had to temporarily suspend the first session of the trial on Monday morning twice as caged defendants chanted asserting the trial is illegitimate, reported Egypt state TV.
