CAIRO
Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who has been imprisoned since his removal in 2013, has been expelled from his position as a university professor, a senior official announced on Sunday.
Egyptian Higher Education Minister Sayed Abdel-Khalek told reporters on Sunday that Morsi, who worked as an engineering professor in Egypt's Zagazig University, has been expelled for "absenteeism."
"The decision is not related to the recent court verdict against Morsi," Abdel-Khalek asserted, referring to a 20-year prison sentence handed down against Morsi by an Egyptian court last month on violence-related charges.
In late April, Morsi was found guilty along with 12 co-defendants of mobilizing his supporters to "intimidate, torture and detain" dozens of opponents during clashes between the two camps outside eastern Cairo's Ittihadiya presidential palace in December of 2012.
Although a total of 11 people – including eight Morsi supporters – were killed in the palace violence, the trial only addresses the death of one reporter and two anti-Morsi demonstrators.
The verdict, which remains subjects to appeal, was the first against Morsi since his ouster and detention by the army in mid-2013.
Since then, he had been slapped with numerous criminal charges, which he and his supporters insist are politically motivated.
Morsi - Egypt's first freely elected president - was ousted by the military in July of 2013 – after only one year in office – following mass protests against his presidency.
Since Morsi's ouster, Egyptian authorities have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent that has largely targeted Morsi's supporters, leaving hundreds dead and thousands behind bars.
