Ousted former Egyptian Islamist president Mohamed Morsi died on Monday after he fainted in court following a hearing, state television reported.

Morsi, a top figure in the Muslim Brotherhood who was the first democratically elected president in Egypt's modern history, had been in jail since he was toppled by the military in 2013 after mass protests against his rule.

State television said Morsi, who was 67, was in court for a hearing on charges of espionage emanating from suspected contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

Morsi was serving a 20-year prison sentence for a conviction arising from the killing of protesters during demonstrations in 2012 and a life sentence for espionage in a case related to the Gulf state of Qatar. </s> Egyptian state TV reports that the former president collapsed during a court hearing. He was then rushed to a hospital in Cairo where he died.

“He was speaking before the judge for 20 minutes then became very animated and fainted,” a judicial source said. “He was quickly rushed to the hospital where he later died.”

Morsi served as President of Egypt from June 2012 but was ousted by a military coup in July 2013.

He was subsequently imprisoned and was standing trial on espionage charges. </s> Former Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi has died in court, state television reported on Monday.

It said Mursi had fainted after a court session and died afterwards.

Mursi, a top figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, was toppled by the military in 2013 after mass protests against this rule. He had been serving a seven-year sentence for falsifying his candidacy application for the 2012 presidential race.

In March 2018, a panel of British politicians and lawyers warned that Morsi’s prison conditions were poor and could lead to his early death.

Morsi had also complained about being denied treatment for diabetes.

An engineer by profession, Morsi’s short time in office marked Egypt’s brief experiment with democracy. As analysts began to tout his tenure as a success for the Arab spring, the army struck effectively snatching the country back from civilian </s> Mohamed El-Shahed, AFP | Mohamed Morsi pictured in June 2016 during his trial on espionage charges at a court in Cairo.

Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically-elected president who was ousted by the military in 2013, has died after collapsing in court, state TV said on Monday.

Egypt's public broadcaster said the 67-year-old former president was attending a session in his trial on espionage charges when he blacked out and then died. His body was taken to a hospital, it said.

"He was speaking before the judge for 20 minutes then became very animated and fainted. He was quickly rushed to the hospital where he later died," a judicial source told AFP.

Morsi, who hailed from Egypt's largest Islamist group, the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was elected president in 2012 in the country's first free elections following the ouster the year before of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.

The military ousted Morsi in 2013 after massive protests and crushed the Brotherhood in a deadly crackdown, arresting Morsi and many others of the group's leaders.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had forged close ties with Morsi, paid tribute to the former president, calling him a "martyr."

"May Allah rest our Morsi brother, our martyr's soul in peace," Erdogan said.

The Islamist leader had been in prison since his ouster, accused of spying for Iran, Qatar and militant groups such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He was also accused of plotting terror acts.

The years following Morsi's overthrow have seen a surge in bombings and shootings targeting security forces, particularly in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, a stronghold of the Islamic State group. </s> Egypt’s ousted president Mohammed Morsi collapsed and died in court on Monday during a court session, state TV said.

Morsi was the fifth president of Egypt from June 2012 until July 2013, when General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi removed him from office in the 2013 Egyptian coup d’état after the June 2013 Egyptian protests. </s> The former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, the first ever freely elected leader of the country, collapsed while on trial in a Cairo court today and died, sparking condemnation over his treatment during years in jail.

Morsi, 67, was elected after the Arab Spring uprisings and served for a year until 3 July 2013 when he was deposed in a military coup led by the then defence minister, and now president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. He has been held in jail since his ousting.

During a trial on espionage charges today Morsi was granted permission to address the court in Cairo, which he did for 25 minutes from the cage in which he was held in, becoming emotional at times, before he said he felt tired and… </s> Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, collapsed in court and died Monday while facing trial, state television reported.

Morsi, 67, died of an apparent heart attack, according to Egyptian media reports. He had been imprisoned since 2013, when his elected government was overthrown in a military coup led by the country’s then military leader, Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, who is now president.

Morsi, a top leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood party, was on trial on a range of charges, including espionage and inciting violence.

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news </s> An Egyptian appeals court has overturned a death sentence handed down against ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsy in one of four trials since his 2013 overthrow, a judicial official said.

The Court of Cassation ordered that Morsy be retried on the charges of taking part in prison breaks and violence against policemen during the 2011 uprising which toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak.

Five co-defendants, including the supreme guide of the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, who also received death sentences in June 2015, will be retried too.

Nearly 100 others who were tried in absentia are unaffected by the appeals ruling.

Last month, the same appeals court upheld a 20-year jail sentence handed down against Morsy in April in a separate trial on charges of ordering the use of deadly force against protesters during his year in power.

Morsy has also been sentenced to life in prison in two other trials.

In one, he was convicted of spying for Iran, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

In the other, he was found guilty of stealing documents relating to national security and handing them over to Qatar, a longstanding supporter of the Brotherhood.

He was toppled by then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi following mass street protests.

The Brotherhood has since been blacklisted and subjected to a crackdown that has killed hundreds of his supporters and jailed thousands. </s> Egypt’s former president, Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who rose to office in the country’s first free elections in 2012 and was ousted a year later by the military, collapsed in court during a trial and died, state TV and his family said. State TV, citing a medical source, said Morsi died from a sudden heart attack, the Reuters news agency reports.

Morsi had been Egypt’s elected president following the death of Hosni Mubarak in 2012, but was deposed after a military coup in 2013 that installed General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi into power.

Egyptian state TV says the 67-year-old Morsi was attending a court session Monday in his trial on espionage charges when he blacked out and then died before he could be taken to a hospital. Morsi had just addressed the court, speaking from the glass cage he was kept in during sessions and warning that he had “many secrets” he could reveal, a judicial official said.

A few minutes afterward, he collapsed, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press. Morsi’s son, Ahmed, confirmed the death of his father in a Facebook post.

Morsi, a leader of Egypt’s largest Islamist group, the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was elected president in 2012 in the country’s first free elections following the ouster the year before of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. The military ousted Morsi in 2013 after massive protests and crushed the Brotherhood in a major crackdown, arresting Morsi and many others of the group’s leaders. Morsi had been imprisoned since his arrest and was previously sentenced to death for his alleged role in a mass prison break that took place during the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak.

Mohammed Sudan, leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in London, described Morsi’s death as “premediated murder” saying that the former president was banned from receiving medicine or visits and there was little information about his health condition. Monday’s session was part of a retrial, being held inside Cairo’s Tura Prison, on charges of espionage with the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

“He has been placed behind glass cage (during trials). No one can hear him or know what is happening to him. He hasn’t received any visits for a months or nearly a year. He complained before that he doesn’t get his medicine. This is premediated murder. This is slow death.”

The judicial official said Morsi had asked to speak to the court during the session. The judge permitted it, and Morsi gave a speech saying he had “many secrets” that, if he told them, he would be released, but he added that he wasn’t telling them because it would harm Egypt’s national security. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry did not answer calls seeking comment.

Morsi, a leader of Egypt’s largest Islamist group, the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was elected president in 2012 in the country’s first free elections following the ouster the year before of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. The military ousted Morsi in 2013 after massive protests and crushed the Brotherhood in a major crackdown, arresting Morsi and many others of the group’s leaders. Morsi had been imprisoned since his arrest and was previously sentenced to death for his alleged role in a mass prison break that took place during the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak.

Mohammed Sudan, leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in London, described Morsi’s death as “premediated murder” saying that the former president was banned from receiving medicine or visits and there was little information about his health condition. Monday’s session was part of a retrial, being held inside Cairo’s Tura Prison, on charges of espionage with the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

“He has been placed behind glass cage (during trials). No one can hear him or know what is happening to him. He hasn’t received any visits for a months or nearly a year. He complained before that he doesn’t get his medicine. This is premediated murder. This is slow death.”

The judicial official said Morsi had asked to speak to the court during the session. The judge permitted it, and Morsi gave a speech saying he had “many secrets” that, if he told them, he would be released, but he added that he wasn’t telling them because it would harm Egypt’s national security. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry did not answer calls seeking comment.

He has been sentenced to 20 years after being convicted of ordering Brotherhood members to break up a protest against him, resulting in deaths. An earlier death sentence was overturned. Multiple cases are still pending.

Morsi was held in a special wing in the sprawling Tora detention complex nicknamed Scorpion Prison. Rights groups say its poor conditions fall far below Egyptian and international standards. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Court footage from 2015: Mohammed Morsi greets lawyers and supporters from behind bars

Egypt's former President Mohammed Morsi, ousted by the military in 2013 after one year in office, has collapsed in a courtroom and died, officials say.

A top figure in the now-banned Islamist movement Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi had just spoken from a cage at a hearing on charges of espionage. State TV said the cause of death was a heart attack.

Morsi, who was 67, had been in custody since his removal after mass protests.

The Muslim Brotherhood said the death was a "full-fledged murder".

Activists and his family had long said Morsi was not receiving treatment for serious health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and was constantly being held in solitary confinement.

What happened in court?

Morsi collapsed moments after addressing the court in Cairo over charges of espionage related to suspected contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which had close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

He spoke for some five minutes from a soundproof glass cage which officials said was designed to prevent him from disrupting proceedings. Morsi was pronounced dead in hospital at 16:50 local time (14:50 GMT) and an initial report showed no signs of recent injuries on the body, Egypt's public prosecutor said.

Last month, his family said authorities had repeatedly denied access to him and that they knew little about the state of his health. During his time in prison, Morsi was allowed only three visits from relatives and was denied access to his lawyers or a doctor, according to human rights group Amnesty International.

His son Abdullah told the Reuters news agency he did not know the location of the body and that authorities were refusing to allow Morsi to be buried in his native Nile Delta province of Sharqiya.

Morsi, who became Egypt's first democratically elected leader in 2012, had already been sentenced to more than 45 years in prison in three separate trials, including for leading an outlawed group, detention and torture of anti-government protesters and leaking state secrets.

He had always rejected the authority of the courts, and his supporters denounced the trials as politically motivated and attempts to give legal cover to a coup based on unreliable witnesses and scant evidence.

A death certain to inflame passions

The death of a leader, remembered by many as Egypt's first democratically elected president, is certain to inflame passions among his supporters and allies in Egypt and beyond. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been quick to describe him as a martyr. Others are certain to do the same.

There has long been concern about the politicised trials which have kept him in prison, as well as his conditions of confinement. Morsi had a history of ill-health.

But last year, a British parliamentary panel reported he was being kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, which they concluded could be classified as torture. They warned this could lead to premature death.

His sudden collapse comes at a time when the United States, reportedly at the request of Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organisation. The death of one its most senior figures will deepen the anger and anxiety in this global Islamist movement.

What has the reaction been?

The Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice party, said Morsi's death amounted to an "assassination", and urged supporters to gather at the funeral and demonstrate outside Egyptian embassies around the world.

"They placed him in [solitary] confinement throughout his detention which exceeded five years, prevented medicine and provided poor food... They prevented doctors and lawyers and even communicating with his family. They deprived him from the simplest human rights."

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was a close ally, blamed Egypt's "tyrants" for the death while the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, another ally, expressed his "deep sorrow".

Crispin Blunt MP, who led a panel of British MPs who had warned about Morsi's health, called for a "reputable independent international investigation", and said Egypt's government had a "duty to explain his unfortunate death".

Amnesty's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa Magdalena Mughrabi said: "[Morsi] was held in solitary confinement for almost six years, placing a considerable strain on his mental and physical wellbeing... [H]e was effectively cut off from the outside world."

Human Rights Watch Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson said Morsi's death was "terrible but entirely predictable".

Who was Morsi?

Born in the village of El-Adwah in 1951, Morsi studied Engineering at Cairo University in the 1970s before moving to the US to complete a PhD.

He was chosen as the Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate for the 2012 election after the movement's preferred choice was forced to pull out. During his turbulent year in office, Morsi was accused of mounting an Islamist coup and mishandling the economy.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Morsi was ousted by the army in 2013 after mass protests

Public opposition to his government grew and millions of anti-government protesters took to the streets across Egypt to mark the first anniversary of the day he took office, on 30 June 2013.

Three days later, the army suspended the constitution, announced an interim government ahead of new elections and detained Morsi, who denounced the move as a coup. Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, then army chief, was elected president in 2014 and re-elected last year in polls rights groups called "farcical".

After Morsi's removal, authorities launched a crackdown on his supporters and other dissent, and hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands others detained in conditions often described as being in violation of their human rights.
Former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted in a coup in 2013 and has been detained in jail since then, dies after fainting during an espionage court hearing.