Egypt accuses UN OHCHR of politicising Morsi’s death

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry yesterday condemned what it described as the “politicisation” of the death of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the ministry said that the spokesman of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) “intentionally aimed to politicise a natural death,” Quds Press reported.

The ministry claimed that OHCHR is working to undermine the “transparency” of the Egyptian judiciary, as well as to highlight claims that Egypt is not committed to international standards.

Meanwhile, the ministry said that the remarks by the UNHRC spokesman would be taken to the highest political levels in Egypt because of their lack of objectivity and professional transparency.

READ: Egypt slams HRW over ex-president’s death circumstances

Spokesman for the OHCHR, Rupert Colville, earlier this week called for an independent probe into Morsi’s death, citing concerns about his detention for several years and calling on the investigation to examine whether those conditions were a factor in his death.

“As former President Mohamed Morsi was in the custody of the Egyptian authorities at the time of his death, the state is responsible for ensuring he was treated humanely and that his right to life and health were respected,” Colville said in a statement.

He added: “Any sudden death in custody must be followed by a prompt, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation carried out by an independent body to clarify the cause of death.”

On Monday, Egyptian state TV announced Morsi’s death during a trial on espionage charges. Morsi’s lawyer, Abdel-Mon’em Abdel-Maqsoud, revealed on Tuesday that Morsi was buried east of Egyptian capital Cairo amidst heavy security, in the presence of only his family.

READ: Morsi left unconscious for 20 minutes before first aid administered

Former Egypt President Morsi dies in court – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]