Egypt court postpones ruling on new judges in Mursi trials

An Egyptian appeals court has postponed until Monday a request by lawyers to appoint new judges in trials involving ousted Islamist president Mohammad Mursi, judicial sources said.

The court met Saturday and decided to examine the request two days later so that Mursi and his co-defendants could be present, they said.

As it was, Mursi was attending a hearing in another trial, in which he and others are accused of inciting the killings of opposition protesters when he was in office.

Mursi and others are also on trial for breaking out of jail during the 2011 uprising against former president Hosni Mubarak and for conspiring with foreign powers and movements to destabilize Egypt.

Defense lawyers had requested that the presiding judges in those two cases withdraw, after private conversations between the defendants and their lawyers were allegedly taped and a newspaper leaked one between Mursi and lawyer Selim al-Awa.

Defence lawyers also complained about a sound-proof glass cage in which the accused are held during court hearings, designed to prevent Mursi and other defendants from repeating outbursts that interrupt the proceedings.

Mursi is also to face a fourth trial for insulting the judiciary.