FJP: Sisi postpones sentence to avoid embarrassment on German visit

Today June 2nd, the final verdict against the first democratically elected President of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi along with dozens of other political prisoners has been adjourned to June 16th.

The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the democratic party which won the 2012 Egyptian election is not surprised by this highly politicised decision.

Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is due to meet the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Bundesrepublik President Joachim Gauck tomorrow in Berlin who would have been forced to face difficult questions over trials’ outcome and the use of the death sentence against an elected President. It is not a coincidence either that the chosen date is June 16th – the day after Al-Sisi will return from the African Union Summit in South Africa, thereby avoiding answering the international media.

However, worldwide public opinion must not be fooled by today politicised decision, which only postpones the final verdict and handed down by an unconstitutional military tribunal that cannot be trusted to follow the law.

Amr Darrag, a former Minister of Morsi’s government, comments:

“The international community and media must start paying as much attention to Egypt’s lurch towards dictatorship as they did during the Revolution in January 2011. This month’ events are not just about President Morsi. He represents a generation of Egyptians that are suffering under a new, brutal military autocracy.

“We salute the very few Western leaders who raised their voices against Al-Sisi’s regime but overall, it is regretful that the international community continues to maintain a shocking silence over the attempted state-sanctioned murder of Egypt’s first democratically elected President. There is an unfolding tragedy in Egypt – the world must now make a stand against a regime that is returning Egypt back and beyond the darkest days of the Mubarak era.”