Trial of Morsi, 24 others over insulting judiciary delayed to October 1

The Cairo criminal court delayed to October 1 the trial of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and 24 others on charges of insulting the judicial authority.

Morsi is accused, along with 24 other Muslim Brotherhood associates, Islamist figures, political activists and journalists, of having shown disrespect to court rulings in comments on social media and in interviews during his ruling.

Activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who is already detained on trial for violating the new Protest Law, is also a defendant in the case.

The postponement decision includes removing a travel ban issued by the investigative judge in the case against seven of the defendants (Mostafa el Nagar, Hamdy el Fakharany, Tawfiq Okasha, Amir Salem, Alaa Abdel Fattah, Mahmoud el Saqa and Mohamed Genedi).

Investigators had referred the defendants to court in January of last year and accused them of insulting judges with the aim to foment hatred.

Former MPs Essam Sultan, Mahmoud el Khudairi, Mohamed el Beltagi, Sobhi Saleh, Moustafa el Naggar, Mohamed el Omda, Amr Hamzawi and Hamdi el Fakhrani are among the defendants.

Saad el Katani, the former speaker of the People's Assembly, is also standing the same trial.

Former MP Mamdouh Ismail, Assem Abdel Maged of the Gamaa Islamia, preacher Wagdi Ghoneim, anchor Abdel Rahman Youssef el Qaradawi and former minister of parliamentary councils Mohamed Mahsoub, will be tried in absentia.

The defendants allegedly insulted judges and the judicial system in interviews with TV and radio channels and in published articles, as well as on social media websites.

Morsi, together with lawyers Amir Salem and Ahmed Abu Baraka, is accused of giving statements that could have very well influenced the decision of judges looking into trials against his predecessor Hosni Mubarak and witnesses giving their accounts in the different cases.

The investigations revealed that Morsi had insulted judge Aly Mohamed Ahmed el Nemr in his presidential address dated June 26, 2013, calling him a cheat.

The hunt is still on for the five fugitives.