Egyptian court sets date for Morsi trial

PanARMENIAN.Net - An Egyptian court on Wednesday set November 4 as the date for the trial of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and other senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders on charges of inciting violence, according to Reuters.

Judge Nabil Saleeb said Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood members had been charged with "inciting the killing and torture of protesters in front of the Etihadeya (presidential) palace".

Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood from carrying out activities inside the country in September.

“The court bans the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood organization and its non-governmental organization and all the activities that it participates in and any organization derived from it,” judge Mohammed al-Sayed said in a statement.

The court also ordered the Muslim Brotherhood's assets confiscated.

The Brotherhood was outlawed for most of its 85 years in existence. But after the 2011 ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, it was allowed to work openly, formed a political party and rose to power in a string of post-Mubarak elections. In March, it registered as a recognized non-governmental organization.

At least 1,000 people have died in the violence with most deaths coming during the security forces' dispersal of two pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo on August 14. About 100 police officers also died in the clashes.

Nearly 2,000 Islamist activists and politicians have been arrested since Morsi's ouster.