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Egyptian ex-president Morsi buried in Cairo

Egyptian ex-president Morsi buried in Cairo June 18, 2019 at 8:37 pm | Published in: Africa , Egypt , News A man holds up an image of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi during a funeral prayer in absentia for him on 18 June, 2019 at Dergah Mosque [Halil Fidan/Anadolu Agency] June 18, 2019 at 8:37 pm Egypt’s first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Morsi , was buried in a small family ceremony on Tuesday, a day after suffering a fatal heart attack in court at a Cairo prison, his sons said, reports Reuters .

The ex-president’s death after six years in jail under the military-backed establishment that ousted him in 2013 stoked anger among his supporters in Egypt and abroad.

His supporters described his death as “full-fledged murder” and called for mass gatherings. Egyptian officials denied accusations that Morsi’s health had been neglected.

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He was laid to rest in Cairo next to other leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, his son Abdullah Mohamed Morsi told Reuters . “We …read prayers for him at the prison hospital,” another son, Ahmed Morsi, wrote on Facebook.

Witnesses in Morsi’s home province of Sharqiya said hundreds of residents in the village where he was born had performed prayers for Morsi amid tight security on Tuesday, and afterwards chanted “Down with military rule!”. A number of residents were detained, a security source said.

Freedom of press in Egypt – Cartoon [Latuff/MiddleEastMonitor]

Life appeared normal in the capital, where authorities have cracked down on protesters since Morsi’s overthrow. Egyptian media, which are tightly controlled, gave the news little attention. Only one newspaper, the privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm , mentioned him on its front page.

But hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members in Turkey took to the streets of Ankara and Istanbul, some of them blaming Egyptian authorities for the death.

Morsi died aged 67 while on trial on espionage charges . He had been in jail since being toppled after barely a year in power, following mass protests against his rule, and had been sentenced to more than 40 years on charges including leading an outlawed group, spying for a foreign country and terrorism.

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Former Egypt President Morsi dies in court – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

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