Egypt's ousted leader Mohammed Morsi has gone
on trial in Cairo, telling the judge the case is
illegitimate as he remains president.
He and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood figures face
charges of inciting the killing of protesters outside the
presidential palace in 2012.
After Mr Morsi's remarks and his refusal to wear a
uniform, the judge adjourned the trial until 8 January.
He was then flown to Burj al-Arab prison in Alexandria.
Security officials told the BBC Mr Morsi was transferred
after registration to the prison hospital for a routine
medical check.
He is awaiting a medical report which will determine
whether he will be sent to a cell or kept at the hospital,
they added.
Earlier reports had suggested that he would be taken to
Tora prison on the outskirts of Cairo. Until now he had
been held at a secret military location.
Protests took place outside the court and elsewhere in
Cairo.
Mr Morsi was ousted by the military in July after
protests against his rule.
Early on Monday Mr Morsi was brought into the
sprawling Police Academy compound by helicopter.
Other defendants, including Essam el-Erian,
Mohammed al-Beltagi and Ahmed Abdel Aatie, were
said to have arrived in armoured personnel carriers.
No television pictures were broadcast from the court
although journalists were allowed in for the former
president's first public appearance since he was
deposed on 3 July.
As he entered the courtroom, Mr Morsi refused to
remove his blue suit and put on the required white
prison uniform. The defendants, who were being held
in a cage in the courtroom, chanted "illegal, illegal".
When asked to give his name, the former president
gave a defiant response, according to reporters inside
the court.
"I am Dr Mohammed Morsi, the president of the
republic. I am Egypt's legitimate president. You have no
right to conduct a trial into presidential matters."
The judge twice temporarily halted proceedings before
adjourning the case until January.
Before the trial began Mr el-Erian, a deputy leader of
the Brotherhood's political wing, told the BBC that one
of his fellow defendants had been mistreated with some
kind of water torture and had been beaten until he was
on the point of collapse.
Mr Morsi and the 14 other members of the Muslim
Brotherhood had been widely expected to use the
occasion to underline what they see as the illegitimacy
of his removal from power.
Police had to step in at one point because of heckling
in the court. The BBC's Orla Guerin says some of those
attending the trial, including women journalists,
shouted that the defendants should be given the death
penalty.
The trial had been due to take place at Tora prison on
the other side of Cairo but had been switched late on
Sunday, apparently to deter protesters.
Shortly after Mr Morsi's arrival, a small crowd arrived
and began chanting outside the police compound more
than one hour's drive from the centre of the city.
The crowd soon grew and protesters were briefly seen
on state TV chanting slogans against army chief Gen
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led Mr Morsi's removal from
power. Demonstrators shouted at a state TV crew and
chanted "liars" before chasing them and pelting them
with stones.
Other protests took place in Cairo itself, outside the
High Court in the centre of the city and at the Supreme
Constitutional Court in the south.
While state institutions were said to have opened
normally on Monday, some private schools had told
parents to keep their children at home.
'Murder and violence'
Although Mr Morsi won the presidency in a democratic
election, during his 13 months in power he fell out with
key institutions.
The ex-president is accused of "inciting his supporters
to carry out premeditated murder, and inciting the use
of violence and thuggery" over the deaths of at least 10
people during intense clashes in December 2012 which
followed a decree that gave him wide-ranging powers.
After he was ousted, a sit-in protest at Rabaa al-
Adawiya Square in Cairo by Mr Morsi's supporters was
violently broken up by the military, leading to the
deaths of hundreds of people.
The interim government has also cracked down on the
Muslim Brotherhood, banning the Islamist organisation
and arresting dozens of senior figures.
Pro-Morsi supporters say he was removed in a coup
and is now facing a politicised trial. Human rights
groups accuse the security services of acting without
accountability.
Legal experts say that if convicted Mr Morsi could be
jailed for life or face the death penalty.
His senior communications adviser, Wael Haddara, told
the BBC that the process was a "charade" because
everyone involved had been appointed by the military.
"What is the military afraid of? Why won't they let him
speak? Even prisoners have rights."
The National Police Academy is also hosting the trial of
his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, - meaning there are
two former Egyptian presidents being tried
concurrently.
An estimated 20,000 security personnel have been
deployed to keep order amid fears that the trial could
deepen the rift between Egyptians and cause greater
unrest.
On Sunday evening, gunmen killed two Egyptian
policemen near the city of Ismailia.
on trial in Cairo, telling the judge the case is
illegitimate as he remains president.
He and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood figures face
charges of inciting the killing of protesters outside the
presidential palace in 2012.
After Mr Morsi's remarks and his refusal to wear a
uniform, the judge adjourned the trial until 8 January.
He was then flown to Burj al-Arab prison in Alexandria.
Security officials told the BBC Mr Morsi was transferred
after registration to the prison hospital for a routine
medical check.
He is awaiting a medical report which will determine
whether he will be sent to a cell or kept at the hospital,
they added.
Earlier reports had suggested that he would be taken to
Tora prison on the outskirts of Cairo. Until now he had
been held at a secret military location.
Protests took place outside the court and elsewhere in
Cairo.
Mr Morsi was ousted by the military in July after
protests against his rule.
Early on Monday Mr Morsi was brought into the
sprawling Police Academy compound by helicopter.
Other defendants, including Essam el-Erian,
Mohammed al-Beltagi and Ahmed Abdel Aatie, were
said to have arrived in armoured personnel carriers.
No television pictures were broadcast from the court
although journalists were allowed in for the former
president's first public appearance since he was
deposed on 3 July.
As he entered the courtroom, Mr Morsi refused to
remove his blue suit and put on the required white
prison uniform. The defendants, who were being held
in a cage in the courtroom, chanted "illegal, illegal".
When asked to give his name, the former president
gave a defiant response, according to reporters inside
the court.
"I am Dr Mohammed Morsi, the president of the
republic. I am Egypt's legitimate president. You have no
right to conduct a trial into presidential matters."
The judge twice temporarily halted proceedings before
adjourning the case until January.
Before the trial began Mr el-Erian, a deputy leader of
the Brotherhood's political wing, told the BBC that one
of his fellow defendants had been mistreated with some
kind of water torture and had been beaten until he was
on the point of collapse.
Mr Morsi and the 14 other members of the Muslim
Brotherhood had been widely expected to use the
occasion to underline what they see as the illegitimacy
of his removal from power.
Police had to step in at one point because of heckling
in the court. The BBC's Orla Guerin says some of those
attending the trial, including women journalists,
shouted that the defendants should be given the death
penalty.
The trial had been due to take place at Tora prison on
the other side of Cairo but had been switched late on
Sunday, apparently to deter protesters.
Shortly after Mr Morsi's arrival, a small crowd arrived
and began chanting outside the police compound more
than one hour's drive from the centre of the city.
The crowd soon grew and protesters were briefly seen
on state TV chanting slogans against army chief Gen
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led Mr Morsi's removal from
power. Demonstrators shouted at a state TV crew and
chanted "liars" before chasing them and pelting them
with stones.
Other protests took place in Cairo itself, outside the
High Court in the centre of the city and at the Supreme
Constitutional Court in the south.
While state institutions were said to have opened
normally on Monday, some private schools had told
parents to keep their children at home.
'Murder and violence'
Although Mr Morsi won the presidency in a democratic
election, during his 13 months in power he fell out with
key institutions.
The ex-president is accused of "inciting his supporters
to carry out premeditated murder, and inciting the use
of violence and thuggery" over the deaths of at least 10
people during intense clashes in December 2012 which
followed a decree that gave him wide-ranging powers.
After he was ousted, a sit-in protest at Rabaa al-
Adawiya Square in Cairo by Mr Morsi's supporters was
violently broken up by the military, leading to the
deaths of hundreds of people.
The interim government has also cracked down on the
Muslim Brotherhood, banning the Islamist organisation
and arresting dozens of senior figures.
Pro-Morsi supporters say he was removed in a coup
and is now facing a politicised trial. Human rights
groups accuse the security services of acting without
accountability.
Legal experts say that if convicted Mr Morsi could be
jailed for life or face the death penalty.
His senior communications adviser, Wael Haddara, told
the BBC that the process was a "charade" because
everyone involved had been appointed by the military.
"What is the military afraid of? Why won't they let him
speak? Even prisoners have rights."
The National Police Academy is also hosting the trial of
his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, - meaning there are
two former Egyptian presidents being tried
concurrently.
An estimated 20,000 security personnel have been
deployed to keep order amid fears that the trial could
deepen the rift between Egyptians and cause greater
unrest.
On Sunday evening, gunmen killed two Egyptian
policemen near the city of Ismailia.
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