Despite initial protest, Morsi dons prison uniform
Expelled Egyptian president refused to go to court in white prisoner's clothes claiming he's the legitimate president, but local newspaper publishes photos showing Morsi dropped suit in favor of prisoner garb
The president's new wardrobe: Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi refused to wear prisoner's clothes in the first session of his trial, screaming from the prisoner's cage: "I am the legitimate president, you, judge, are illegitimate!"
But in the Alexandria prison jailing the former leader, Morsi isn't any different from the rest of the prisoners. The Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm published Sunday morning the first pictures of Morsi in the isolated Borj al-Arab Prison in Alexandria wearing white prisoner clothes.
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The photos were taken, it seems, when the Muslim Brotherhood man entered the prison. Morsi can be seen wearing the white uniform reserved for administrative detainees. If found guilty of the charges brought against him, including murder and incitement to murder, Morsi will wear blue prisoner clothes, and if he will be sentenced to death he will wear red.
Morsi and 14 other senior officials from the Muslim Brotherhood will appear for trial in the Police Academy in Cairo for their role in the murder of demonstrators across from the Presidential Federation Palace al-Ittihadia, last December.
The president, who was expelled in a military coup d'etat, arrived at the court hall in a suit – contrary to procedures. The rest of his colleagues in the caged cell were wearing prisoner's clothes. Morsi refused to recognize the court's authority and claimed that he was the legitimate president of Egypt and that the judge had to release him. Morsi's statements caused a riot at the scene and the deliberations in his trial were postponed to January.
Last week, Morsi's security detail staff held a press conference in Cairo where they read an announcement in Morsi's name. Morsi stressed in the announcement that he is sticking to his legitimacy as president and he doesn't recognize the results of the military revolution from July 3.
Saturday, for the first time since Morsi's ouster, a coalition of Islamist movements, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, held a press conference in which they presented a new initiative to bring to an end the crisis plaguing Egypt. They called for dialogue with the military leadership, and in a surprising matter, called for Morsi to return to the presidency.
An official with the Egyptian army wasn't impressed by the Islamists' call for dialogue and said Sunday morning that they need to recognize the road map that the army, political movements and clergy members have agreed to, and to which Morsi's expulsion has been approved, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. He said that the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters' declarations are "tricks and attempts of desperate attrition."
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