Egypt judges quit trial of Brotherhood leaders
Iran Press TV
Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:48PM GMT
The three Egyptian judges presiding over the trial of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) supreme leader, Mohamed Badie, and his aides have withdrawn from the proceedings.
Mohammed Fahmy al-Qarmuty from the three-judge panel at the Cairo Criminal Court announced the decision on Tuesday, just before the second session of the trial was to convene.
He cited 'uneasiness' over the trial, without further elaboration. This comes while the defense lawyers said the panel had come under pressure from security officials to hold the trial inside a prison.
Prior to their resignation, the judges ordered that the defendants remain in custody.
Badie and his two deputies, Khairat al-Shater and Rashad al-Bayoumi, are facing charges in connection with the deaths of protesters who stormed the Brotherhood's Cairo headquarters on June 30.
A total of 32 other defendants are being prosecuted along with the three Brotherhood leaders.
None of the 35 defendants, currently held in Tora prison, were present in court on Tuesday.
The withdrawal of the judges now will force the trial of all defendants to start all over.
The trial is part of a sweeping crackdown on the supporters of former president, Mohamed Morsi, since the military toppled the country's first democratically-elected head of state on July 3.
Morsi, held incommunicado since his ouster, is also due to stand trial next month over the killings of protesters in front of the presidential palace in December.
On Monday, the Muslim Brotherhood-led Anti-Coup Alliance said in a statement that Morsi did not recognize the competence of the court that is set to try him.
MRS/PR/SS
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