The human rights of Egypt’s first elected President Mohamed Morsi were violated and his right to a fair trial was significantly undermined, Amnesty International (AI) North Africa Team campaigner Nicholas Piachaud stated. Responding to the questions of Anadolu Agency regarding the first session of the trial of the leader who was ousted by the military establishment on 3 July, Piachaud noted the very worrying signs from Monday’s short court session and the lead-up to it. “For months, they’ve held him in conditions amounting to an enforced disappearance, without access to his family or lawyer. That’s a clear violation of Mohamed Morsi’s human rights,” he said.
Prior to Morsi’s trial, AI published on Sunday a statement by Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Programme, saying that Monday’s trial was a “test for the Egyptian authorities.” Piachaud underscored that Morsi’s defence lawyers were given just a few days by authorities to try and prepare a defence. “His lawyers told us they were only able to get a copy of the 7,000 page case file on October 30. The authorities also denied Mohamed Morsi access to his lawyers while he was being interrogated and investigated by the Public Prosecution. That significantly undermined his right to a fair trial.”