Mohamed Morsi

Mohamed Morsi was an Egyptian engineer and politician who served as the fifth president of Egypt from 2012 to 2013. He was the first democratically elected president in Egypt’s history, and the first civilian to hold the office. He was also the leader of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization that was banned in Egypt for decades. Morsi rose to prominence during the 2011 Egyptian revolution, which ousted the longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak. He was elected president in June 2012, promising to uphold the principles of the revolution and to implement an inclusive and moderate vision of Islam. However, his presidency was marred by political turmoil, economic crisis, and social unrest. He faced opposition from the secular and liberal forces, the military, the judiciary, and the media, who accused him of being authoritarian, divisive, and incompetent. He also alienated many of his Islamist supporters by failing to deliver on his promises of reform and justice. In November 2012, he issued a constitutional declaration that granted him sweeping powers and immunity from judicial oversight, sparking mass protests and clashes. In December 2012, he pushed through a controversial constitution that was drafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly and approved by a low-turnout referendum. The constitution was criticized for undermining human rights, especially the rights of women and minorities, and for entrenching the role of the military and the Muslim Brotherhood in the state. In June 2013, on the first anniversary of his inauguration, millions of Egyptians took to the streets to demand his resignation, in what was described as the largest protest in history. On July 3, 2013, the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, deposed Morsi and suspended the constitution, following an ultimatum that he failed to meet. Morsi was arrested and detained in an undisclosed location, where he remained in solitary confinement and was denied access to his family and lawyers. He faced multiple charges, including inciting violence, espionage, jailbreak, and insulting the judiciary. He was sentenced to death in one case and to life imprisonment in another, but both verdicts were overturned by the Court of Cassation. He died on June 17, 2019, after collapsing in a courtroom during a trial session. He was buried the next day in a cemetery in Nasr City, a district of Cairo, under heavy security and without a public funeral. His death was mourned by his supporters and human rights groups, who denounced the conditions of his detention and the lack of medical care. His opponents and the Egyptian authorities remained silent or indifferent, reflecting the deep polarization and repression that marked his legacy.