The trial of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and 14 co-defendants has been adjourned until 1 March. Morsi, his presidential aides and senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders are accused of inciting the murder and torture of opposition protesters outside the presidential palace in December 2012. At least ten people were killed during protests triggered by a presidential decree that expanded Morsi's powers. Video footage of the deadly clashes prepared by a technical committee from the state broadcaster will be reviewed at the next trail session. The testimonies of the presidential palace's guard commander, guard chief and nine other witnesses were postponed until the next session in March after defence lawyers requested the testimonies be heard after the technical committee's report. Morsi, who was removed from power by the army in July amid huge protests against his year-long rule, is currently facing four separate trials. Wednesday's hearing is the fifth in this particular case. Morsi could face the death penalty if convicted. Civil plaintiffs have called for the court to examine the role played in the clashes by Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and Saad El-Katatni, the leader of the group's Freedom and Justice Party. Both are being tried in a separate case for inciting murder. Morsi has consistently refused to recognise the authority of the courts trying him, and has claimed that he is still Egypt's legitimate president. But he recently appointed Mohamed Selim El-Awa as his defence lawyer after earlier refusing to do so. The interim authorities have mounted a sustained crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement, which it has declared a "terrorist organisation." Much of the group's upper echelons are behind bars and facing trials for inciting violence and other charges. At least 1,400 people, mostly Islamists, have been in killed in street violence since July, according to Amnesty International. Scores of police and soldiers have also been killed in militant attacks that have spread from the Sinai Peninsula to other parts of the country, including Cairo. Source: Ahram Online
