Trial of Egypt's Morsi over espionage adjourned to February 27

A Cairo court adjourned Sunday the trial of Egypt's former president Mohamed Morsi along with other 35 people over espionage charges to Feb. 27, official news agency MENA reported. The other defendants, including Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohamed Badei and his two deputies Khairat al-Shater and Mahmoud Ezzat, former parliament speaker Saad al-Katatni and others, rejected lawyers assigned to defend them. The defendants are accused of spying for foreign bodies including Palestinian Hamas movement to carry out terrorist acts in Egypt. Speaking from inside a glass cage, the defendants told the judge they have the right to choose their defending team. During the first session on Feb. 16, the presiding judge Shaaban El-Shami asked for mandating ten lawyers for the defendants, as their original lawyers withdrew to protest against putting Morsi and his Brotherhood comrades inside a glass cage during the trial, deeming it as illegal procedures. The Pubic Prosecution stressed that Morsi and 35 leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood are guilty of collaborating with foreign organizations and countries to harm the country's national interests. Morsi also faces two other trials, one for the killing of protesters during his presidency, and one for jailbreak and attacks on police during 2011 revolt. His trial over jailbreak will be resumed on Monday. Morsi is also expected to go on trial for "insulting the judiciary," but no date has yet been set for that case.