Cairo Criminal Court adjourned the trial of ousted President Mohamed Morsi and 14 other co-defendants who are accused of killing and inciting murder against protesters at Ithadeya Palace to June 26, according to Youm7.
The enclosed hearing at the Police Academy was postponed to resume hearing the prosecution’s witnesses, who were suppose to show up in the court Wednesday but never arrived, while keeping the ban of media presence.
The 14 defendants include Mohamed Morsi, former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) Chairman Saad Katatni, senior Brotherhood leader Mohamed al-Beltagy, and FJP Deputy Chairperson Essam el-Erian, among others. Seven of the fourteen defendants are being tried in absentia.
The defendants face charges of inciting murder of the demonstrators during the clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi protesters outside the Ithadeya Presidential Palace.
Nine people were killed including journalist Al-Hossany Abu Daeif following the protests that broke out around Ithadeya in Heliopolis in Dec. 5, 2012. They were protesting Morsi’s constitutional declaration, which granted his decisions immunity against judicial appeals.
Videos of protesters being beaten and interrogated by Brotherhood supporters in the vicinity of the palace went viral on social networking websites.
Morsi also stands trial in three other cases: insulting the judiciary, escaping from Wadi Natroun prison during the January 25 Revolution in 2011, and espionage to conspire with foreign Islamist groups, including Hamas, to create chaos in Egypt.
Morsi has been in custody since his ousting from office on July 3, 2013. He first appeared in court on Nov. 4, 2013 and the location of his detention remains unidentified.
