The family of Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi still suffer from the obstinacy of the Egyptian authorities in not allowing them to visit him over three years.
A statement released by the family on Facebook on December 2016 stated that “The family of President Mohamed Morsi has been prevented from visiting him without any legal basis. This wasn’t the first or the only time that the family was banned from visiting Morsi since his abduction. Morsi’s family wasn’t allowed to visit him over three years except once on November 2013 at Burg al-Arab prison west Alexandria, but the family was surprised at the decision of the Egyptian authorities to ban the visit from the President on November 12, 2013. Until this day, the crime has started its fourth year; in a precedent, which is considered to be the first among all political prisoners around the world.”
President Mohamed Morsi -the first democratically elected president of Egypt- is the only political prisoner who has been barred from the basic prisoners’ rights during his detention.
“Morsi was also deprived of the right of meeting his lawyers during his farcical trials sessions since January 2015,” according to the statement.
On August 2015, the President submitted a complaint to the false court in front of all media and press cameras that stated,” he was given food but if he had eaten, it would have led to a crime.”
Despite all the conviction statements and the lawyers’ demands to transfer Morsi to a medical center on his own expenses to make some medical checks on his health, but they weren’t implemented.
In addition, “The family of the abducted president has tried more than 50 times to visit him during this current year, but it was to no avail. “
The last visit trial was on December 3, 2016 when the family tried to visit him at Tora Prison but the main reason for refusal each time that there is a decision from a specific entity.
Accordingly, Morsi’ family said, “We hold the coup authority, all its members and on top of them the coup leader(al-Sisi) the full responsibility for the president’s health and his safety.”
They also called in their statement,” All the free people around the world, the international human rights organizations and all those who care about freedom to notice the human rights violations file against Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi. “
In the end of the statement, Morsi’s family stressed that visiting request is a right not a favor from the coup authority.
Morsi’s family also stressed that the visiting request doesn’t change the president’s or his family’s stance from the unrecognizing the military coup d e’tat and its authority.
This wasn’t the first time Morsi’s family express their dissent from the Egyptian regime’s denial of their right to visit Morsi throughout three years of his detention.
Since President Morsi was overthrown by a military coup in 2013, he was banned from his ‘visiting’ rights.
Morsi’s son Usama said that his family has been barred from visitation rights to President Morsi, who won the country’s first free election in 2012.
Usama wrote on his Facebook account last June that they were prohibited from visiting his father for four Ramadans (month of fasting for Muslims) 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 usually 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 visits to 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.”
Moreover, Ahmed Morsi -the son of Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi wrote on his Facebook account last September that the authorities continue to deprive his father of the basic rights of a political prisoner, as his family has not been able to check on him for a long time, adding that no politician has ever been treated in that way throughout the modern history.
He said, “Throughout the three past years, we have been barred from visiting my father and checking on him and this still continues.” He added, “No politician has ever been prevented from contacting his family and lawyers in the modern history.”
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.
