Ex-Shura Council accuses military of crimes against humanity

The recently dissolved Shura Council issued a list of resolutions on Monday, in which the body refused to recognize former President Mohamed Morsi’s removal from office, and threatened to take those responsible for his ouster to regional and international courts.

Although the upper house of Parliament was officially dismantled by the same military decree that deposed Morsi on July 3, members of the Shura Council continue to convene in Rabea al-Adaweya Mosque, where Morsi’s supporters have held a sit-in demanding his reinstatement for the past weeks.

After the People’s Assembly was dissolved by a court order last year, the Shura Council was the only legislative body in the country. Non-Islamist members of the council, who had been in the minority, had resigned in protest against Morsi’s actions.

After a meeting on Monday, members of the dismantled council issued a statement rejecting “the bloody military coup” and all the decisions that have been issued in its aftermath.  

The council accused the perpetrators of the “coup” of committing crimes against humanity, and threatened to press charges in the International Criminal Court and the African Court of Human and People’s Rights. The members added that they didn’t acknowledge interim President Adly Mansour’s government, or any decisions that his government would take.

The statement also accused police forces and the military of criminal responsibility for the deaths of protesters in clashes that occurred since July 3, and appealed to civil society forces and governments around the world to denounce Morsi’s deposal and the ensuing violence perpetrated against his supporters.

Despite the United States government’s hesitation to recognize the military-appointed interim government, the former council members accused the US and Israel having a role in Morsi’s removal, and demanded the closure of their embassies in Egypt.