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Egypt’s former President Mohamed Morsi dies in court

Published

5 years ago

June 17, 2019

Former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi died on Monday in a Cairo hospital after fainting during a session in court , judicial and security sources said .

“ He was speaking before the judge for 20 minutes then became very animated and fainted . He was quickly rushed to the hospital where he later died , ” a judicial source said .

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a strong ally of the Islamist president during his brief tenure as Egypt ’ s leader , paid tribute to Morsi and called him a “ martyr ” .
The official Al – Ahram news website also reported the death of Morsi , 67 , who was Egypt ’ s first democratically elected president but spent just one turbulent year in office after the 2011 uprising before the army toppled him in 2013 .

The Islamist leader has been in prison since his ouster on trial for several cases including for spying for Iran , Qatar and militant groups such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He was also accused of plotting terror acts .
Since his overthrow on July 3 , 2013 , his former defence minister now President Abdel Fattah al- Sisi has waged an ongoing crackdown targeting his supporters from the Muslim Brotherhood with thousands jailed and hundreds facing death sentences .
The years following Morsi ’ s overthrow have seen a surge in bombings and shootings targeting security forces , particularly in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula , a stronghold of the Islamic State group .
Morsi ’ s turbulent rule was marked by deep divisions in Egyptian society, a crippling economic crisis and often- deadly opposition protests .

( AFP )