CAIRO: Egypt’s ex-president Mohamed Mursi was buried in a small family ceremony early on Tuesday a day after he suffered a fatal heart attack in court, his sons said, as supporters posted messages of grief and anger.
Mursi was laid to rest in Cairo next to the graves of other leaders of the now-banned Brotherhood, Abdullah Mohamed Mursi said.
The Brotherhood has described Mursi’s death as a “full-fledged murder” and called for mass gatherings to mark his passing. Egyptian officials have denied accusations that his health was neglected.
Hundreds of Brotherhood members took to the streets of Turkey’s capital and Istanbul, some of them blaming Cairo authorities for the death.
Mursi died on Monday after collapsing in a Cairo court while on trial on espionage charges, authorities and a medical source said. The 67-year-old had been in jail since being toppled after barely a year in power, following mass protests against his rule.
Mursi had been sentenced to more than 40 years in prison in separate trials, including for leading an outlawed group, spying for foreign country and terrorism. He and other imprisoned Brotherhood leaders have rejected the rulings and denounced the trials as politically motivated to justify Mursi’s overthrow.
There was a heavy security presence on Monday night around the Cairo prison where Mursi had been held and in Sharqiya, where security sources said the interior ministry had declared a state of alert. No significant increase in security in central Cairo was noticeable on Tuesday morning.
Amnesty International called for an investigation. A British parliamentary panel said last year that Mursi received inadequate medical treatment for his diabetes and liver illness and was being kept in solitary confinement, which they warned could put his life in danger.
Egypt’s State Information Service, which liaises with the foreign media, said Mursi had submitted his last official request to a court regarding his health condition in November 2017, asking to be treated at his own expense.
It said the court approved the request, and that an official report from the same year found Mursi was in good health but suffering from diabetes.
— Reuters
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