CAIRO
By Hussein Qabani
Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi still refuses to hire lawyers to defend him in the trials against him, because he does not recognize the legitimacy of these trials, Morsi's son, Osama, asserted Monday.
"Some pro-coup media claims that the legitimate president Mohamed Morsi had hired a lawyer to defend him," Osama wrote in a statement. "We reaffirm that Morsi did not and will not recognize the trials," he added.
Some local TV channels reported on Sunday that Morsi, who was ousted by the military on July 3, had agreed to hire noted lawyer and former presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim al-Awa to defend him.
Morsi is accused along with 14 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders and ex-presidency officials of inciting the killing of demonstrators outside the presidential palace in Cairo in December 2012.
He is expected to appear in court for the second session of the trial Wednesday, but he insists as a "legitimate, elected president" he should be tried in a special court as stated in the suspended 2012 constitution.
Morsi's backer slammed the military ouster of the country's first democratically elected leader last year as a military coup.
Morsi had earlier submitted a notice, saying that it is not within the court's jurisdiction to try him in his capacity as a president.
Osama wrote in his statement that his father is considered to be "arbitrarily kidnapped", adding that Morsi is confident that all the charges brought up against him would be dropped soon after the "coup" comes to an end.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
