Photo: Clashes between Morsi supporters and government forces cost hundreds of lives. (AFP: Fayez Nureldine)
Egypt's first freely elected president, Mohammed Morsi, will go on trial today under a security crackdown that has raised concerns the army-backed government is reimposing a police state.
Morsi, who was ousted by the army on July 3 after mass protests against his rule, is due to appear in court along with 14 other senior Muslim Brotherhood figures on charges of inciting violence.
He and the other defendants could face a life sentence or the death penalty if found guilty.
That would likely further inflame tensions between the Brotherhood and the army-backed government. It would also deepen the political instability that has decimated investment and tourism in a country where a quarter of people live under the poverty line.
In August, riot police backed by army snipers stormed camps of protesters in Cairo who were demanding Morsi's reinstatement. Hundreds were killed.
Morsi has been held in an undisclosed location since his removal from office. The trial is expected to be held at a police institute near Cairo's Tora prison.
The charges of inciting violence relate to the deaths of about a dozen people in clashes outside the presidential palace in December after Morsi enraged his opponents with a decree expanding his powers.
"What concerns me about this trial is that the justice system has been extremely selective and there has been almost near impunity for security services for the killing of hundreds of protesters," Heba Morayef, Egypt director for Human Rights Watch, said.
"And in that kind of environment of politicised prosecutions, the likelihood for real justice is compromised."
There are indications that the authorities are growing less tolerant of freedom of expression.
Recently, Egypt's top television satirist was pulled off the airwaves a week after he poked fun at army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
"It can't be judged on what we do today and what we do tomorrow," foreign minister Nabil Fahmy said. "I promise you we will succeed in doing this, but I am sure we will stumble on the way."
US pushes for democracy following aid suspension
US secretary of state John Kerry arrived in Cairo on Sunday morning (local time) to push Egypt's military-installed rulers for democratic progress, just weeks after Washington suspended part of its $1.5 billion in annual aid.
He is the most senior US official to visit the country since Morsi was overthrown, and it is the first time a US secretary of state has travelled to Egypt on what is known as an unannounced visit for security reasons.
Video: John Kerry speaks in Egypt (ABC News)
Observers say it is a sign of US concerns about continued instability in the country - but it is also a reaction to the high level of anti-American resentment in Egypt.
"We are committed to work and we will continue our cooperation with the interim government," Mr Kerry told reporters, urging "inclusive, free and fair elections."
He also played down Washington's suspension of its aid.
"US-Egyptian relations should not be defined by assistance," he said.
Reuters
