Leaked video shows first images of Morsi
Egyptian president declares himself to still be president of the country, in first video of him since July imprisonment.
A leaked video has shown the first images of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi since his imprisonment by the country’s military after a coup on July 3.
In the video, released by the al-Watan newspaper on Sunday, Morsi can be seen speaking off-camera to visitors.
Al-Watan said that it blurred the background and other parts of the video in order to preserve the secrecy of the location of Morsi’s prison, and to protect “national security”.
The voices of those visiting the Egyptian president have also been cut from the video.
“I am a small price to pay in this issue and God knows that I speak the truth. All of Egypt is suffering from what is happening now,” Morsi said. It was not immediately clear when the video was shot.
Morsi is due in court on Monday to face charges of incitement to murder in connection with clashes that took place outside the presidential palace in Cairo in December 2012.
Morsi will face charges for the death of three out of 11 protesters who were killed in the violent clashes during demonstrations against his constitutional declaration, which gave him vast powers that many believed were steps towards authoritarianism.
In the video, Morsi asserts that he is still “the president of the republic, in accordance the constitution”.
Al-Watan reported that regarding his trial, Morsi, a PhD in Materials Science, said that he would represent himself in court.
“If I went to court, I will represent myself in front of any court … I am not involved in killings of the protesters … I will tell judges that,” the deposed president said.
Dressed in a tracksuit, Morsi described his ouster as “a crime in every way”.
In a separate audio leak, also released by al-Watan late on Sunday, Morsi criticises the country’s military for having removed him from power, suggesting that the military was opposed to not being a part of the ruling civilian set-up.
He also criticised the Egyptian judiciary for not declaring the coup unconstitutional, although he did express his respect for Adly Mansour, the head of the country’s constitutional court and current acting president.