“Incitement to kill demonstrators” is the accusation that plagues former Egyptian presidents when demonstrations lead to their ouster. Former President Hosni Mubarak and some of his regime were charged with incitement, as are former President Mohammed Morsi and 14 others. The latter include prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood such as Essam el-Erian, the vice chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (the political arm of the Brotherhood); Mohamed Beltagy, the party’s secretary in Cairo; and Wagdi Ghoneim, the Brotherhood-affiliated Muslim preacher.

After a trial that lasted months, Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison, a verdict his defense team and supporters characterized as politically motivated and meant to appease an angry public. But the sentence was appealed, and the Court of Cassation decided to permit a retrial, which is currently underway.

The same fate might await Morsi and his cohorts in the case of incitement to kill the protesters demonstrating in front of Itihadiya presidential palace. Al-Monitor attempted to examine the most important evidence presented by the plaintiffs and the responses put forward by the defense.

Material evidence