Former Egyptian President Morsi dies in custody

International Desk: Egyptian authorities are under pressure after former President Mohammed Morsi collapsed in court and died on Monday.

Morsi, who was 67, had been in custody since his removal from office in 2013.
Amnesty International has called for "an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation" into his death, the authorities say from a heart attack.

His family and activists had raised concerns about his health and the conditions in which he was held, much of the time in solitary confinement.

Reports say he was buried near Cairo in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with several members of his family present.

His son, Abdullah Mohamed Morsi, earlier said that Egyptian authorities had denied a family request for a public funeral in his hometown.

A top figure in the now-banned Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi became the country's first democratically elected leader in 2012.

He was ousted and detained in a military coup a year later following mass protests against his rule.

Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, then army chief, has been in power since 2014.

After Morsi's removal, the authorities launched a crackdown on his supporters and other dissent, leading to tens of thousands of arrests.

The Muslim Brotherhood and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are among those who have blamed the Egyptian leadership for Morsi's death.

Source: Agencies


risingbd/June 18, 2019/Mukul