Egypt Charges Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood Leaders With Inciting Murder

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Egypt’s state prosecutor has referred deposed President Mohamed Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders for trial on charges that include inciting the murder of protesters.

In an announcement that came on Sunday, the prosecutor’s office said that Morsi had been charged with stoking deadly clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012, but did not detail the evidence against him, reports the New York Times. While Morsi faces a number of charges, the BBC reports that this case is his first referral for trial.

Morsi was overthrown on July 3 by the army, following mass protests against his rule. Since then, authorities have mounted a fierce crackdown against the Brotherhood, rounding up its leaders and killing Morsi supporters during subsequent protests, reports the Guardian. In turn, around 100 members of security forces have also been killed since August 14 when police forcefully broke up pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo, adds the Guardian.

The announcement on Sunday seemed to extinguish hope for a political solution to the standoff between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military, reports the New York Times.

[New York Times]
[BBC]
[Guardian]