Egypt court withdraws from trial of top MB leader

Cairo Criminal Court has withdrawn from the trial of Muslim Brotherhood’s leading figure, Mohamed El-Beltagy, and prominent Muslim preacher, Safwat Hegazy, judicial sources say.

The court says it’s embarrassed at the trial of these two senior figures. Beltagy and Hegazy face charges of inciting violence at a sit-in in support of deposed president, Mohamed Morsi.

Also on Saturday, an Alexandria court ruled that 21 women should be released. Fourteen of the women have been handed down suspended sentences. Seven others, who are underage teenagers, have been ordered free. They were charged with taking part in pro-Morsi and anti-coup demonstrations.

The army-backed authorities accuse the activists of inciting violence and attacking security personnel.

The trials are part of the mounting pressure and a sweeping crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been leading mass protests demanding the reinstatement of Morsi.

The army-appointed government has launched a bloody crackdown following the dispersal of two main pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo and Giza in mid-August. About 1,000 people were killed in a week of violence between anti-coup protesters and security forces after police dispersed their protest camps in the deadly operation.

Tensions in Egypt have been running high since the country’s first democratically-elected president was ousted in early July.