CAIRO– The trial of Morsi and 14 other defendants is set to resume on January 8
Fifteen lawyers will attend next month’s second session of the ongoing trial of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, who faces charges of inciting the murder of anti-government protesters late last year.
“The legal team has submitted the names of 15 lawyers to attend the second session of the Morsi trial,” Mohamed al-Damati, spokesman for lawyers representing trial defendants, told Anadolu Agency.
He predicted that the court would approve the list of names, which includes former presidential candidate Mohamed Selim Al-Awa.
The trial of Morsi and 14 other defendants is set to resume on January 8. The accused face charges of inciting the murder of anti-government demonstrators outside Cairo’s Ittihadiya presidential palace late last year.
In a first trial session on November 4, the defendants – with the exception of Morsi – had been represented by ten lawyers.
The spokesman denied that the increase in the number of lawyers was linked to growing numbers of lawsuits filed against Morsi.
He said the lawyers would ask the judicial authorities for permission to visit Morsi in Alexandria’s Borg al-Arab Prison.
“The visit aims to give lawyers a chance to talk with Morsi about the details of the next trial session and whether he would accept legal representation or would defend himself,” legal team member Ashraf Emran told AA.
A source on the legal team expected that lawyers would visit the jailed president on Thursday after obtaining permits.
He, however, predicted the visit would not be permitted by authorities.
In the first trial session, Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, refused to recognize the trial’s legitimacy and has refused to take on any formal legal representation.
Morsi is further accused by Egypt’s new military-backed government of “conspiring” with Gaza-based resistance faction Hamas with the aim of carrying out “hostile acts” inside Egypt.
He also faces charges of helping prisoners – including himself – break out of jail during Egypt’s 2011 revolution, sabotaging public property and abducting security personnel.
