Mursi Due in Court for Espionage Trial
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Egypt's deposed President Mohamed Mursi is due in court on charges of espionage, along with 35 other defendants.
Mursi is accused of inciting murder and using violence against protesters during his presidency that ended after he was ousted by the military in July.
The charges in Sunday's proceedings relate to the deaths of at least 10 people who were taking part in rallies outside the presidential palace in December 2012, Al Jazeera reported.
Prosecutors also say Mursi worked with the Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.
His two other charges are for escaping jail back in 2011 and for insulting the judiciary. Mursi could face the death penalty if found guilty of some of those charges.
"There hasn't been any evidence whatsoever because these are deeply politicised times in Egypt, and politicised charges, Abdullah al-Arian, assistant professor of history at Georgetown University, told Al Jazeera.
"This case is not subject to the usual rigors of law enforcement, investigation, and evidence," al-Arian added.
"This is one of four separate trials of Mursi, and in today's proceedings, the Egyptian government will try to deligetimise the former regime and put fear of other governments and to promote a strong Egyptian nationalism," al-Arian said.
