Morsi in solitary confinement

The Egyptian authorities have transferred ousted President Mohammed Morsi from a hospital room to solitary confinement in the Burg Al-Arab Prison. According to Assistant Interior Minister Ahmed Helmi, Morsi, who is being remanded in custody pending his trial on charges related to the so-called “Ittihadia” case, has completed the 10-day quarantine period and will now be transferred from the hospital in accordance with prison regulations.

Al-Shorouk newspaper quoted Helmi on Thursday as saying that there is no discrimination in the treatment of the president; his health is good and the transfer is routine. It was carried out on the instructions of Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim. All prisoners, Helmi insisted, are treated in the same way.

The Criminal Court of North Cairo headed by Judge Ahmed Sabri Yusef, postponed Morsi’s trial, and that of 14 other defendants, until January 8 to give the defence time to study the case. The prosecution alleges that Morsi instigated the killing of two demonstrators outside the Ittihadia Palace. It ignores the fact that security forces killed at least eight members of the Muslim Brotherhood and wounded many others in the same incident.