Morsi aides released while Morsi remains in detention

State-owned Al-Ahram has reported that the authorities have released three aides of deposed president Mohamed Morsi after two weeks of detention in an Armed Forces headquarters.

Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Gehad al-Haddad has alleged that the news is false.

Al-Ahram, quoting a Muslim Brotherhood source, reports that political affairs adviser Pakinam al-Sharqawy, security adviser Ayman Hodhod and Abdel Meguid Mashaly one of Morsi’s aides who is known to be close to deputy supreme guide Khairat El-Shater were released.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning Haddad tweeted that “no release occurred. This is yet another fabrication by the state media rumor machine.”

Haddad also said that Sharqawy was not amongst the “10 detained members” with Morsi and described this as “another sign of police state fabrication.”

The presidency witnessed a series of resignations beginning November 2012 when Morsi issued his Constitutional Declaration, which immunized his decisions from judicial review. Having previously been composed of public personalities, media figures and Salafi and Nour Party leaders, only Muslim Brotherhood members remained on the presidential team by June 30 when mass protests called for the president to step down.

Despite international pressure from the United States and Germany, Morsi has still not been released. Armed Forces spokesperson Ahmed Ali has said that Morsi is not in detention and that the Armed Forces have taken measures for his own protection in light of the instability in the streets.

Ali affirmed in an interview with the Al-Arabiya satellite channel on Wednesday that after the June 30 protests, Egypt’s future will include everyone without exclusion. Ali added that nobody would be pursued due to political differences and made clear that the framing of political differences as being religious in nature is an attempt to deceive, and is incongruous with the situation in Egypt.

Judicial sources told privately-owned newspaper Al-Shorouk that a public prosecution team and investigative judge summoned by the minister of justice will question Morsi in the coming days in his place of detention. The sources indicated that more than 100 complaints have been lodged against Morsi, including allegation of spying, incitement to kill protesters and using foreign powers to prevent the army removing him.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters camping out at the Rabea al-Adaweya Mosque have announced their intention to hold mass rallies under the banner “determination” calling for Morsi’s release, two days after pro- and anti-Morsi clashes in Cairo and Giza left seven people dead and 261 people injured.

This is the second demonstration calling for Morsi’s release. The first was held on July 8 when violent clashes took place between the Armed Forces and the police on one side and thousands of Islamists on the other outside the Republican Guards headquarters where Morsi is being held. 54 people were killed and more than 400 injured.