Judges Step Down In Trial Of 494 Morsi Loyalists In Mosque Case

Judges at Cairo Criminal Court on Tuesday declined to preside over the trial of 494 supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, citing “unease.”

The 494 are accused of involvement in the violence between pro-Morsi protesters and security forces last August at the Fath Mosque in Cairo’s Ramsis district.

The judge, Mahmoud Kamel El-Rashidi, is currently presiding over the murder trial of former president Hosni Mubarak.

The Ramsis clashes left 210 dead, mostly Morsi supporters.

The accused face charges of committing violence, killing, assaulting security forces and torching buildings.

Thousands of Morsi loyalists have been arrested on similar charges since last August when the two main sit-ins supporting the Islamist president were dispersed. Clashes that followed the ouster of Morsi last July left hundreds of supporters of the ousted president dead.

Meanwhile, Islamic militants have stepped up attacks against security forces leaving over 500 officers killed over the past year.

Source : Ahram online