President Mohamed Morsi’s family have stated their dissent against the Egyptian regime’s denial of their right to visit Morsi throughout three years of his detention.
Since President Morsi -the first democratically elected civilian president- was overthrown by a military coup in 2013, he was banned from visitation rights.
Morsi’s son Usama said that his family has been barred visitation rights to President Morsi, who won the country’s first free election in 2012.
Usama wrote on his Facebook account that they were prohibited from visiting his father for the fourth Ramadans respectively. He said, “This is the fourth Ramadan that comes while President Mohamed Morsi is in prison since the military coup on July 4, 2013. It is necessary on the anniversary of the advent of Ramadan to make the public opinion aware of what is going on with the father and Mr. President detainee.”
His son Usama met him four times at the Police Academy headquarters (where he is tried) for a few minutes each, where the most recent one was in January 2015. The President’s wife and the rest of the family members have not been able to visit the President since November 2013. Usama stated that the President’s family does not know anything about his food, his place in prison, or his detention and health conditions. The family is not also allowed to send him clothes or any personal belongings.
Usama also said that dozens of official demands were raised to allow the President’s family to visit him, but there was no response from the coup regime. “Family visitations for prisoners are an inalienable right guaranteed by all constitutions, law and justice systems around the globe,” Usama added.
In the statement of President Morsi’s family which was addressed to the public opinion, the family called on “all human rights organizations and those interested in public affairs, as well as international organizations to intervene to stop this crime, which is committed to a political will from the coup authority and a direct complicity from the Egyptian judicial authorities.”
The statement also said the family will not stop “attempting to visit and communicate with President Mohamed Morsi until whatever God has ordained takes place”.
Morsi’s family confirmed that they still do not recognize Al-Sisi’s military coup, saying, “This does not change the position of the president or his family of the non-recognition of the military coup.”
Masrawy, an Egyptian news website has recently confirmed that the Mufti of Egypt Dr. Shawqi Allam approved the death sentence against President Mohamed Morsi, and the other defendants in the cases known as “espionage” and “Wadi Al-Natroun prison escape”. According to the Egyptian law, all death sentences must be endorsed by government’s leading religious authority before they are implemented.
In this context, Amnesty International Organization for human rights has denounced Morsi’s death sentence as “a charade based on null and void procedures.”
President Morsi was overthrown by Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi in a military coup on June 4, 2013. Since then, the military coup authorities have launched massive attacks against Morsi’s supporters, and the leaders and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is considered the major political opposition force against the military coup.
The Egyptian security forces have arrested thousands of Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members, including President Morsi, and sentenced them to life in prison or death in mass trials carried by the Egyptian judicial system -one of the military coup arms. Earlier this week, an Egyptian court sentenced 187 Morsi supporters to life in prison on various charges.
Here is the full text of the statement of President Morsi’s family which was published on the Facebook page of Usama Morsi, President Morsi’s son:
A Message from President Morsi’s Family to the Public Opinion
This is the fourth Ramadan that comes while President Mohamed Morsi is in prison since the military coup on July 4, 2013. It is necessary on the anniversary of the advent of Ramadan to make the public opinion aware of what is going on with the father and Mr. President detainee.
Mr. President Mohamed Morsi, as far as we know, is the only detainee in Egypt that his family has been altogether banned from visiting him in prison since the military coup on the third of July, 2013 up till now, except for once on the seventh of November, 2013. His son Osama met him four times at the Police Academy headquarters (where he is tried) for a few minutes each, where the most recent one was in January 2015. The President’s wife and the rest of the family members have not been able to visit the President since November 2013. The President’s family does not know anything about his food, his place in prison, or his detention and health conditions. It is not also allowed to send him clothes or any personal belongings. Dozens of official demands were raised to allow the President’s family to visit him, but there was no response. Allowing the President’s family to visit him in prison is his right that is guaranteed by all international constitutions and laws (including the Egyptian Constitution), not an honor.
Though the President’s family has never complained and is well aware of the size of the challenge that is facing the Egyptian revolution, however, it believes that this does not rob it (the family) of its rights.
While the President’s family is making this clear for everyone, it calls on all human rights organizations and those interested in public affairs, as well as international organizations to intervene to stop this crime, which is committed to a political will from the coup authority and a direct complicity from the Egyptian judicial authorities.
The President’s family will not stop attempting to visit and communicate with President Mohamed Morsi “until whatever God has ordained takes place”.
This does not change the position of the president or his family of the non-recognition of the military coup.
The family of President Mohamed Morsi
June 5, 2016
