I am the president and you have no legitimacy, Morsi tells court

The trial, which was interrupted twice by a raucous courtroom, was adjourned to January 8 to allow lawyers time to review the case against Morsi and his 14 co-defendants – all prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, had been held at an undisclosed location since the military ousted him in a coup July 3. His appearance in court represented a step by the military-backed authorities toward granting him due process in the face of mounting criticism by rights groups.

The 62-year-old, who wore a dark blue suit, light shirt and no tie, was feisty and healthy-looking during his court appearance. He had refused to wear a prison uniform as the judge had ordered, according to security officials, as part of his rejection of the trial’s legitimacy.

The dispute had delayed the start of the session by two hours, according to officials.

Mr Morsi and his co-defendants face charges of inciting the killing of protesters who massed outside the presidential palace in December and demanded he call off a referendum on a new constitution drafted by his Islamist allies. Brotherhood members attacked a sit-in by the protesters, sparking clashes that left 10 people dead.

Silent video broadcast on state TV showed Mr Morsi arriving in a minibus outside the makeshift courtroom at a police academy in eastern Cairo.

Another clip from inside the courtroom showed his co-defendants standing – all in white prison uniforms – in two lines like a guard of honor, applauding him as he joined them in the defendants’ cage. His co-defendants, with their backs to the court, raised their hands in a four-fingered gesture, a sign commemorating the hundreds of his supporters killed when security forces moved to clear pro-Morsi sit-in sites in August.

Reporters in the courtroom were not allowed to bring cameras, computers or mobile phones as authorities sought to keep tight control on the proceedings.

The case against Mr Morsi and the other defendants is rooted in complaints filed against them by rights activists at the time of the December riots. It is not related to events stemming from the coup, contrary to what his supporters maintain. “This case (of violence) is a turning point and the beginning of the downfall of Morsi,” said Ragia Omran, a civil lawyer who represents two of the victims.

If convicted, Mr Morsi and the other defendants could face the death penalty.

During yesterday’s session, Mr Morsi rejected the proceedings and said he had been forced to attend. When Judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef called out his name as one of the defendants, the ousted president, to the cheers of defence lawyers, indignantly replied: “I am Mohammed Morsi, the president of the republic.”

He added: “I am here by force and against my will. The coup is a crime and treason.”

Mr Morsi refused to enter a plea. He said: “This court, with all due respect, doesn’t have jurisdiction over the president. There is a military coup in this country. The leaders of this coup must be brought to trial according to the constitution.”

The trial continues.