Vowed to spill ‘many secrets,’ then collapses
Egypt’s first democratically elected president — who was ousted by the military in 2013 after just a year in office — collapsed and died Monday in a Cairo courtroom where he was being tried on espionage charges.
Speaking from inside the glass cage where he sat during court session, Mohammad Morsi, 67, insisted he remained Egypt’s legitimate president and warned he had “many secrets” to reveal.
After speaking for five minutes, he collapsed, said one of his defense lawyers.
He was pronounced dead before he could be taken to the hospital. An autopsy wil determine how he died.
“In front of Allah, my father and we shall unite,” his son Ahmed reportedly posted on Facebook.
Morsi had a history of diabetes and liver and kidney disease. His health had been in decline, his son said.
Morsi was being held at Cairo’s Tura Prison while undergoing multiple trials, including on the charge of espionage linked to the Palestinian Hamas militant group. He’d already been sentenced to 45 years in prison in three earlier trials.
The conditions of Morsi’s detention concerned human rights advocates. Last year, three British lawmakers reported his confinement could be considered inhumane and result in his death, noting that he was being held in solitary y confinement for 23 hours a day with just one hour to exercise.
“Our conclusions are stark,” said British parliamentarian Crispin Blunt during a presentation of the lawmakers’ findings. “On his health, the denial of basic medical treatment to which he is entitled could lead to his premature death.”
Blunt called for a “reputable independent international investigation” of Morsi’s death, BBC News reported.
Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood — a religious and political movement — became president in June 2012 in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, which earlier forced the ouster of Egypt’s longtime president, Hosni Mubarak.
Morsi was the first democratically elected president of Egypt — and the first civilian to hold the office.
Critics accused Morsi and the Brotherhood of using violence against opponents and trying to monopolize power, and protests called for his ouster in June 2013. Days later — on July 3 — he was ousted by a military coup.
Mohammed Sudan, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in London, called Morsi’s death “premeditated murder,” noting that he was not receiving proper care in prison and rarely allowed visitors. Since he was imprisoned in 2013, his family was only allowed to visit three times.