Probe sought as Egypt’s first democratically elected prez Mohamed Morsi is buried

Cairo: Egypt’s first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi was buried in Cairo on Tuesday, his lawyer said, a day after he collapsed in court and died. Rights groups called for an independent probe into the detention conditions and death of the Islamist, who was ousted in 2013 after a year of divisive rule.

State TV said the 67-year-old’s death was due to a cardiac arrest.

“He was buried in Medinat Nasr, in Cairo, with his family present,” said Abdel Moneim Abdel Maksoud, one of his lawyer. Morsi, also the country’s first civilian president, had appeared “animated” during a hearing in a retrial over charges of collaborating with foreign powers and militant groups, judicial and security sources said.

“The court granted him his request to speak for five minutes... He fell to the ground in the cage... and was transported immediately to hospital. A medical report found... no pulse or breathing,” said the attorney general’s office.

“He arrived at the hospital dead at 4.50 pm exactly and there were no new, visible injuries found on the body.” Another of Morsi’s legal defence team described the moment he received news of his death. “We heard the banging on the glass cage from the rest of the other inmates and them screaming loudly that Morsi had died,” the lawyer, Osama El Helw, said.