An appeal court has refused to replace a judge in a trial involving Mohamed Morsi and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
Mohamed El-Damaty, the lawyer for Brotherhood figure Essam El-Erian, had demanded that Judge Ahmed Abul-Fotouh be replaced. The case was suspended while the matter was dealt with.
Abul-Fotouh gave a statement on state TV expressing his views on the case, a breach of Egyptian law which prohibits judges from discussing trials in public.
The defendants are accused of inciting the murder and torture of opposition protesters outside the presidential palace in December 2012.
At least ten people were killed in clashes outside the presidential palace, triggered by a decree issued by Morsi that elevated his decisions above judicial review.
Morsi, who was removed from power by the army in July 2013 amid nationwide protests against his year-long rule, also faces a number of other charges in separate trials, including espionage and breaking out of prison during the January 2011 uprising.
Source : Ahram online
