Turkish leaders strongly condemn Morsi death penalty
Cabinet members and nongovernmental groups slam Saturday's death sentence issued against former president of Egypt.
Senior Turkish politicians have condemned an Egyptian court's decision to impose the death penalty on Egypt's first elected President Mohamed Morsi.
Deputy prime ministers, cabinet members, and nongovernmental groups have all expressed indignation at the decision against Morsi on charges of involvement in a mass jailbreak during Egypt's 2011 revolution and espionage.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Sunday that the decision had effectively canceled out Egyptians' right to self-rule, as Morsi was the first democratically-elected president in Egypt's history before being overthrown by a military coup in July 2013 led by current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc Sunday prayed for Morsi and his supporters, asking God to help them, while Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz and Turkish Defense Minsiter Ismet Yilmaz too said that they believed the decision would not be implemented.
Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said Sunday: "This [ruling] is an understanding supported by a coup plotter and the fascists behind him. Every human being who is truly human would stand to condemn this," Muezzinoglu said.
"The West says, 'we are against the death penalty,' but they are simply watching by, all the while supporting those who put people on death row."
Turkish Youth Minister Cagatay Kilic said Sunday: "This decision is a disaster, it is a black spot for Egypt's future. We expect this situation to be rectified as soon as possible."
Turkish citizens took to the streets on Sunday across Turkey. Hundreds of people poured out in Istanbul to protest against the ruling. The demonstration was led by Turkish nongovernmental organizations, including Association for Free Thought and Educational Rights, or Ozgur-Der and the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).
Demonstrations were also reported in Adiyaman, Adana, Kastamonu, Kocaeli, Izmir, Van, Antalya, Isparta, and Bingol.
Also, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan termed the Egyptian courts verdict a capital punishment against democracy Saturday.
Erdogan had also called on the Western world to take a stance against the Cairo courts decision and criticized their silence over the issue.
On Saturday, an Egyptian court referred 122 out 166 defendants -- including ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi -- to the grand mufti to consider possible death sentences against them over charges of jailbreak and espionage.
Cairo said Sunday it rejected all "inappropriate comments" on the country's court rulings, labeling them an unacceptable interference in Egypt's internal affairs.
Most death sentences handed by Egyptian courts are commuted into prison terms.
Last year, hundreds of Egyptians were sentenced to death but rulings on only a few dozen were actually upheld, the rest converted into 25-year imprisonment.
The U.S. and the United Nations both expressed concern over the decision Sunday.
Last month, Morsi and 12 codefendants were sentenced to 20 years in prison each for allegedly mobilizing supporters to intimidate, detain and torture dozens of anti-Morsi protesters during clashes outside eastern Cairo's Ittihadiya presidential palace in December 2012.
Morsi currently faces multiple criminal trials on charges that include espionage and insulting the judiciary, charges he says are politically motivated.
Since Morsi's ouster, Egyptian security forces have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent that has targeted both Islamists and secularists, leaving hundreds dead and thousands behind bars.
Anadolu Agency
Deputy prime ministers, cabinet members, and nongovernmental groups have all expressed indignation at the decision against Morsi on charges of involvement in a mass jailbreak during Egypt's 2011 revolution and espionage.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Sunday that the decision had effectively canceled out Egyptians' right to self-rule, as Morsi was the first democratically-elected president in Egypt's history before being overthrown by a military coup in July 2013 led by current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc Sunday prayed for Morsi and his supporters, asking God to help them, while Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz and Turkish Defense Minsiter Ismet Yilmaz too said that they believed the decision would not be implemented.
Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said Sunday: "This [ruling] is an understanding supported by a coup plotter and the fascists behind him. Every human being who is truly human would stand to condemn this," Muezzinoglu said.
"The West says, 'we are against the death penalty,' but they are simply watching by, all the while supporting those who put people on death row."
Turkish Youth Minister Cagatay Kilic said Sunday: "This decision is a disaster, it is a black spot for Egypt's future. We expect this situation to be rectified as soon as possible."
Turkish citizens took to the streets on Sunday across Turkey. Hundreds of people poured out in Istanbul to protest against the ruling. The demonstration was led by Turkish nongovernmental organizations, including Association for Free Thought and Educational Rights, or Ozgur-Der and the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).
Demonstrations were also reported in Adiyaman, Adana, Kastamonu, Kocaeli, Izmir, Van, Antalya, Isparta, and Bingol.
Also, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan termed the Egyptian courts verdict a capital punishment against democracy Saturday.
Erdogan had also called on the Western world to take a stance against the Cairo courts decision and criticized their silence over the issue.
On Saturday, an Egyptian court referred 122 out 166 defendants -- including ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi -- to the grand mufti to consider possible death sentences against them over charges of jailbreak and espionage.
Cairo said Sunday it rejected all "inappropriate comments" on the country's court rulings, labeling them an unacceptable interference in Egypt's internal affairs.
Most death sentences handed by Egyptian courts are commuted into prison terms.
Last year, hundreds of Egyptians were sentenced to death but rulings on only a few dozen were actually upheld, the rest converted into 25-year imprisonment.
The U.S. and the United Nations both expressed concern over the decision Sunday.
Last month, Morsi and 12 codefendants were sentenced to 20 years in prison each for allegedly mobilizing supporters to intimidate, detain and torture dozens of anti-Morsi protesters during clashes outside eastern Cairo's Ittihadiya presidential palace in December 2012.
Morsi currently faces multiple criminal trials on charges that include espionage and insulting the judiciary, charges he says are politically motivated.
Since Morsi's ouster, Egyptian security forces have launched a relentless crackdown on dissent that has targeted both Islamists and secularists, leaving hundreds dead and thousands behind bars.
Anadolu Agency