Morsi supporters protest in New York after ousted president's death

Morsi supporters protest in New York after ousted president's death
The protesters said they were angry about the way Morsi, the first democratically-elected president of Egypt, was treated by Sisi's regime.
2 min read
18 June, 2019
Dozens of people protested in New York's Times Square. [Getty]

Dozens of people protested in New York's Times Square on Monday evening after ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi died that day after collapsing in a Cairo courtroom.

The protesters said they were angry about the way Morsi was treated by Egyptian authorities with reports of ill-treatment and denial of medical services in jail.

The 67-year-old Morsi was attending a court session in his trial on espionage charges on Monday when he blacked out and then died.

Morsi hailed from Egypt's largest Islamist group, the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and was elected president in 2012 in the country's first free elections following the ousting the year before of long-time leader Hosni Mubarak.

The military toppled Morsi in 2013 after massive protests and crushed the Brotherhood in a major crackdown, arresting Morsi and many others of the group's leaders.

During his years in prison, Morsi, who was known to have diabetes, was often held in solitary confinement and was largely barred from receiving visitors. His family was only allowed to visit three times. While in detention, Morsi continued to appear in court on a range of charges.

Morsi's Brotherhood accused the government of "assassinating" him through years of poor prison conditions.

A woman holds an image of Egypt's first popularly elected president Mohamed Morsi during a protest on June 17, 2019. [Getty]

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