Morsi tells court he is president before trial adjourned
By Nehal El-Sherif and Pol O Gradaigh, dpa
Cairo (dpa) - Toppled Islamist president Mohammed Morsi told a court Monday that he is the legitimate leader of Egypt as he defied court rules and refused to don a white prison uniform during the chaotic start of his trial on charges of inciting murder and torture.
"I am the legitimate president, and I demand the court end this farce," Morsi said in his first public appearance since the democratically elected president's overthrow by the military in July. "I cannot accept that the noble judiciary take part in this coup."
The trial was halted twice after other defendants facing the same charges interrupted the proceedings by chanting anti-military slogans. A judge then adjourned the trial until January 8.
Morsi refused to put on the prison uniform and instead wore a dark suit and a blue shirt.
He appeared healthy in footage aired on state television. He arrived in a small bus at the Police Academy, where the court was held and stood in front of a camera to button his suit.
Other defendants clapped as Morsi stepped inside the cage in the courtroom where the accused watch the proceedings. He then looked into the camera, while the others, clad in white outfits, turned their backs and raised their hands in a four-fingered sign referring to a sit-in dispersed by security forces in August, in which hundreds of their supporters were killed.
The charges against the 15 defendants refer to deadly clashes outside the presidential palace in December when their Muslim Brotherhood supporters broke up a sit-in by protesters objecting to a decree in which Morsi granted himself sweeping powers.
When the judge asked Morsi if he would accept Islamist lawyer Selim al-Awa to defend him, Morsi replied: "This is not a court that is competent to prosecute the president of the republic. ... The leader of the coup should face trial."
He was referring to army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, who removed Morsi from power on July 3.
"Down with military rule," chanted the defendants, who included members of Morsi's administration and his Muslim Brotherhood group.
Morsi could face the death penalty if convicted. Seven of the other 14 defendants are being tried in absentia.
The trial was not broadcast on television.
The former president was transferred by helicopter from a secret location to the Police Academy outside Cairo, where dozens of his supporters held a protest. After the trial, he was taken to the Borg al-Arab prison in the northern city of Alexandria.
An Islamist alliance called on its supporters to hold mass protests Tuesday as it praised Morsi for "his steadfastness in the face of putschists and adherence to legitimacy and the will of the people."
Security was tight outside the courtroom. Hundreds of policemen backed by armoured vehicles were deployed around the complex and on rooftops.
Protesters attacked journalists covering the trial, including reporters with state television and the pan-Arab broadcaster Al Arabiya.
Morsi supporters and opponents scuffled outside the Constitutional Court in southern Cairo and in Alexandria.
Police and army forces blocked Tahrir Square and areas near Cairo University to prevent Morsi supporters from staging sit-ins.
The Brotherhood, which is demanding Morsi be reinstated, said the charges against him are "fabricated." Islamists have denounced Morsi's overthrow as a coup and accused the military of trying to establish an authoritarian rule similar to that of Hosny Mubarak, who led Egypt for 30 years until 2011.
Hundreds of Islamist protesters were killed in a police crackdown that followed Morsi's removal from power, which strained relations with the United States and prompted Washington to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Egypt.
The army said it had responded to the will of the people after millions took to the streets in June to demand Morsi step down.
US Secretary of State John Kerry sought Sunday on his first visit to Egypt since Morsi's toppling to downplay the rift, saying US-Egyptian relations are not defined by military assistance.
Kerry voiced support for a political road map laid out by al-Sissi, which includes amending the Islamist-skewed constitution approved under Morsi and holding parliamentary and presidential elections by mid-2014.
Amnesty International called on Egyptian authorities to grant Morsi "a fair trial, including the right to challenge the evidence against him in court."
"Failing to do so would further call into question the motives behind his trial," it warned.
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