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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Egypt’s Morsi trial set to begin Nov. 4

Then-Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, center, speaks with Minister of Defense Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, left, in 2012. (Associated Press)

CAIRO – The politically charged trial of Egypt’s Mohammed Morsi will begin Nov. 4, almost four months to the day after the country’s first democratically elected president was toppled by the military, authorities said Wednesday.

The prosecution of Morsi on charges of inciting his followers to kill opponents of his rule takes the crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood to a new level and is likely to fuel protests by his Islamist supporters, stoking the turmoil shaking Egypt.

Since his July 3 ouster, Morsi’s backers have taken to the streets in rallies met by a fierce response by security forces that has left hundreds dead.

For Egypt’s military-backed government, the trial is a chance to lay out their justification for the sweeping arrest campaign and ultimately for Morsi’s ouster. Authorities contend the former president and the Brotherhood, which dominated power during his year in office, committed crimes while in power – and have turned to violence since his removal.

Associated Press