BICOM

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for a “thorough and transparent investigation” into the death of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

Morsi was buried in a small family ceremony early on Tuesday, a day after he suffered a fatal heart attack in a Cairo court.

UN spokesperson Rupert Colville said: “Concerns have been raised regarding the conditions of Mr Morsi’s detention, including access to adequate medical care, as well as sufficient access to his lawyers and family. The investigation should be carried out by a judicial or other competent authority that is independent of the detaining authority and mandated to conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations into the circumstances and causes of his death”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a prayer service in Istanbul for the former Egyptian President. At Fatih mosque, Erdogan called Morsi a “martyr” and blamed Egypt’s “tyrants” for his death, adding that he didn’t believe that Morsi died of natural causes.

Exiled Egyptian opposition politician, Ayman Nour, called Morsi “a martyr who was killed deliberately”. Amr Darrag, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political party who also lives in exile, said: “Sisi is the murderer and there must be a transparent and independent international investigation.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Egypt’s State Information Service called allegations by human rights organisations that Morsi’s medical treatment had been inadequate and he was denied prisoners’ rights a “new ethical low” and “an attempt to prematurely reach outcomes with the most politicised intentions.” It added that the accusations of medical mistreatment are “unfounded”.

Egyptian security agents prevented reporters and photographers from attending the funeral and barred journalists from travelling to Morsi’s village.

Conservative MP Crispin Blunt, who led an independent review panel examining Morsi’s situation in 2018, wrote in the Independent yesterday: “An inquiry must take place. Indeed, the launch of a reputable independent international investigation is the only step to take. After six years of chronic mistreatment in prison, culminating in the very public death of the first democratically chosen head of state in Egyptian history, there must be proper accountability.”