Egyptian judge banned media from Morsi trial

An Egyptian judge has banned the media from attending Sunday's hearing in the trial of ousted president Mohamed Morsi which is expected to feature testimonies from prosecution witnesses. An Anadolu Agency correspondent said security prevented him and all other reporters from attending the session, held at eastern Cairo's Police Academy. A security source said that the ban was ordered by the presiding judge "for national security considerations."

The court – which is trying Morsi and 14 others on charges of inciting the murder of demonstrators in late 2012 - decided Saturday to summon five top Republic Guards commanders for testimony. While a total of 11 people – including eight Morsi supporters – were killed in clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi protesters, the trial only addresses the death of one reporter and two anti-Morsi protesters. The court proceedings resumed after an Egyptian court last month turned down the defense lawyers' request for the recusal of the trial judges. 

Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected leader, was ousted by the military last July – after only one year in office – following protests against presidency. He currently faces four different trials for multiple charges, including espionage, jailbreak and offending the judiciary.

Morsi, along with all of co-defendants, dismisses the charges as politically motivated.