• EGYPT
  • August 24, 2017
  • 7 minutes read

President Morsi’s Family Deplores Violations of his Rights in Detention, World Silence

President Morsi’s Family Deplores Violations of his Rights in Detention, World Silence
First: We deplore the silence of human rights organizations, civil society, governments and all those concerned with freedom and struggle against oppression, over the crimes committed by coup junta authorities against President Mohamed Morsi and all political prisoners and detainees in Egypt.

We also condemn the double standard used by the West and the international community, which still preaches respect for freedom, democracy and human rights.

We hope today will be a starting point for your work to urge governments and human rights organizations to take stock of human rights in Egypt and the whole world.

Second: President Morsi, since his abduction by force on July 3, 2013 in a full-fledged military coup – and until the writing of these words, has been completely isolated from the world.

From the outset, the President was held captive at a military base for four months. His first appearance was on November 4, 2013 in the a session of a sham trial. His family has been allowed to visit him only twice in the past four years.

The first visit was on November 7, 2013 – and lasted only one hour. Visits were then banned for three and a half years without any legal reason.

The second visit was on June 4, 2017 – and lasted only half an hour. His legal defense team is banned from meeting him since January 2014, a junta crime that violates all constitutions and laws governing justice in Egypt and the world at large.

The President is forbidden not only visits; but also banned are news papers, books and even personal belongings.

Moreover, the President suffers deliberate medical neglect, which is summarized as follows:

• August 8, 2015: The President complained to the court, addressing his defense team, since he was placed in a soundproofed glass cage, that he was served a meal that if he had eaten it, a definite crime would have been committed, adding that there were five similar incidents, all of which directly threatened his life.

• May 6, 2017: The President spoke once again to the Court, addressing his defense team. He mentioned that his life was in danger, and that he wanted to meet with his defense team to give them the details of those crimes to take necessary action.

• June 7, 2017: The President spoke to the court, again addressing his defense team, about two diabetic comas he suffered in detention, adding that he was not seen by a doctor. He then requested to be transferred to a private medical center at his personal expense to conduct medical examinations to find out the causes of this health crisis. He also instructed his defense team to write to the Attorney-General to at least document that crime.

• June 8, 2017: The President’s defense team submitted a report to the Attorney-General to take the necessary action with regard to the afore-mentioned incidents, and to play his role as a decision-making sovereign authority, but he has not taken any action as yet.

• June 4, 2017: In the second visit by the President’s family, after a three-and-a-half-year ban on all visits, and which lasted only 30 minutes, his sons were not allowed to visit him, only his wife and daughter were allowed. President Morsi told them, during this visit, that for a whole year thus far, he had been repeatedly asking to change his prescription glasses, but the security team guarding him had not responded to that request.

• July 2017: President Morsi asked for his insulin and a blood sugar meter, but security authorities refused.

Third: Our message does not change the position of President Mohamed Morsi – the first elected civilian president of the Arab Republic of Egypt – of total and complete rejection of the military coup that took place on July 3, 2013 and his rejection of all the measures taken by the coup authority including the politically-motivated sham trials.

Also, our message does not change the family’s rejection or non-recognition of the military coup. We will not give up the people’s right to choose who governs them.

Family of President Mohamed Morsi

Cairo in: Wednesday – August 23, 2017