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World reacts to the death of Mohammed Morsi

June 17, 2019 at 9:05 pm

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani on 7 September 2018 [Abdülhamid Hoşbaş/Anadolu Agency]

Officials and dignitaries from around the have responded to the death of Egypt’s only democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi who died in court on Monday.

Morsi, 67, a top figure in the Muslim Brotherhood was Morsi, a top figure in the Muslim Brotherhood who became Egypt’s first freely elected president in 2012 a year after the Egyptian revolution brought about the end of Hosni Mubarak’s three decades as dictator.

However, he was overthrown by the army after mass protests against this rule. Imprisoned since he was toppled by the military in 2013, collapsed in a cage during a court session on Monday and died shortly afterwards, Egypt’s public prosecutor said.

Read: BREAKING: Former Egypt President Morsi dies in court

Responses from around the world have varied, from expressions of sorrow, criticisms and anger.

Morsi’s son confirmed the death of his father in a simple Facebook post:

“We will meet in the presence of God.”

Noor al-Hussein the former Queen of Jordan, expressed her sadness at the news stating “RIP first and only democratically elected President of #Egypt #Morsi

Similarly, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani the ruler of Qatar offered his condolences to Morsi’s family and Egyptian people:

“We received with great sorrow the news of the sudden death of former president Dr Mohamed Morsi. I offer my deepest condolences to his family and Egyptian people. We belong to God and to him we shall return.”

Qatar strongly backs the Muslim Brotherhood, which since Morsi’s fall has been outlawed in Egypt with many of its leading figures imprisoned.

Turkish president Recep Erdogan hailed Morsi’s role as a democratic leader: “I learned the news of the death of my brother Mohammed Morsi, the first President of Egypt to take office after a democratic election. I wish God’s mercy on to the martyr Mohammed Morsi, who took part in one of the greatest democratic struggles in history.”

Crispin Blunt a British MP has criticised the conditions of Morsi’s incarceration in an interview with the BBC:

“We want to understand whether there was any change in his conditions since we reported in March 2018, and if he continued to be held in the conditions we found, then I’m afraid the Egyptian government are likely to be responsible for his premature death,”