Egypt blasts UN official for politicising Mohammed Morsi's death

The divisive ruler passed away from what medics believe was a heart attack on Monday afternoon

FILE - JUNE 17, 2019: According to state TV, ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has died at the age of 67 after fainting in a courtroom. BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 30:  Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi speaks to the media with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (not pictured) following talks at the Chancellery on January 30, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. Mursi has come to Berlin despite the ongoing violent protests in recent days in cities across Egypt that have left at least 50 people dead. Mursi is in Berlin to seek both political and financial support from Germany.  (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
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Egyptian authorities on Wednesday blasted the UN human right’s office saying it was trying to politicize the death of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi who died this week after collapsing in court.

Morsi, a senior member of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, died of what medics believe was a heart attack on Monday after addressing a court hearing his retrial for espionage. He was buried in a cemetery in Cairo early the next morning alongside other prominent Brotherhood figures in the presence of his family and a lawyer.

Morsi’s grave sits near to that of the Brotherhood’s late spiritual leader Mahdi Akef who died in prison in 2017.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said that comments by Rupert Colville, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, were unacceptable and attempted “deliberately to politicize the natural death” of Morsi.

Colville called for a “prompt, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation” into Morsi’s death.

Mr Hafez said Mr Colville’s “politicized and immature” remarks match those from a people exploiting Morsi’s death for political purposes. In the wake of Morsi’s passing, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan – a longtime supporter of the Brotherhood and of Morsi – has claimed that “Morsi did not [die] naturally, he was killed,” although he has given no evidence to support his claim.

Mr Erdogan is a fierce critic to the government of President Abdel Fattah El Sissi.

Morsi was elected president in 2012 in the country’s first elections following the Arab uprising that brought down Hosni Mubarak after 30 years in power.

However, after a year of ineffectual governance and amid growing anger at his divisive rule, the army stepped in to remove Morsi from office.

Morsi then stood trial on numerous charges, many of which he was found guilty for committing.