Mursi Trial Day 1: Trial Delayed until January

Trials of Muslim Brotherhood leaders were supposed to commence this past August; they were delayed. Today, former Egyptian president Mohammed Mursi arrived for his trial but proceedings didn’t get very far; the trial was adjourned and is being postponed for another two months. The optics, however, were a bit unflattering for Mursi, who was photographed inside the infamous Egyptian defendant cage.

Mohammed Mursi: Caged at trial that would be postponed.

Mohammed Mursi: Caged at trial that would be postponed.

Via Sky News:

The trial of former Egyptian leader Mohamed Morsi and 14 others has been postponed until January 8 amid defiant chanting by the defendants.

The adjournment – on the first day of the controversial trial – also followed a two-hour delay when Mr Morsi refused to change into prison uniform.

Proceedings were stopped twice due to the chanting of slogans including “Down with military rule”, before the judge decided the disruption was too great and adjourned the case.

Mr Morsi and his supporters do not recognise the trial’s legitimacy and insist he was removed from power illegally.

Some 20,000 police officers were deployed to maintain order as Mr Morsi went on trial accused of inciting the deaths of at least 10 protesters outside the presidential palace in December 2012.

Secretary of State John Kerry visited Egypt and met with leaders of the new government for several hours one day earlier.

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