Morsi to Sue Egypt’s Army, Supporters to 17 Years in Jail

Local Editor

Deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi plans to sue the army-installed authorities over his ouster, warning that stability will only return once their "coup" is annulled, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Mohamed al-Damati and a team of lawyers on Monday visited Morsi in jail, where he is awaiting the next hearing in a trial on charges of involvement in the deaths of protesters during his year-long presidency.

"The president plans to take legal measures against the coup, and this will be up to the defense team in the near future," Damati told reporters. He further stated: "There are complaints which will be presented to the prosecutor general (to say) that what happened was a crime."
Damati also said complaints could be filed to the administrative court to annul "the move by military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi" to topple Morsi.
Morsi was removed from office by the army on July 3 after mass protests calling for his resignation.

He insists that he remains the president of Egypt and has rejected the legitimacy of the court trying him.

In a letter read out by his lawyers, he reiterated his rejection of the process and warned of continuing unrest.

"Egypt will not regain its stability except by annulling this coup," Morsi said.
Unrest has spiked in the country since Morsi's overthrow, and the bitter divisions between his supporters and opponents have deepened.

His short-lived presidency was marred by political turmoil, deadly clashes and a crippling economic crisis, prompting millions to take to the streets in June to demand his resignation.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian court sentenced 12 supporters of Morsi to 17 years in prison on Wednesday for taking part in a violent student-led protest, state media reported.

The official MENA news agency reported that the protesters were convicted of attacking the headquarters of the Islamic al-Azhar institution during the protest.
The Muslim Brotherhood movement said on its website all those sentenced were students at al-Azhar's university.

The men were arrested after protesters in October tried to storm al-Azhar's head office, which supported the military's overthrow of Morsi.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team