Cairo — Ousted president Mohamed Morsi along with several secular figures behind Egypt’s 2011 uprising were on trial Saturday, as the authorities press on with a crackdown on all forms of opposition.



The trial for “insulting the judiciary” is the fifth for Morsi, who was sentenced to death last week over a mass prison break during the uprising against former president Hosni Mubarak.



Twenty-six defendants stand accused of contempt of court in comments made in parliament, speeches, on social media or in interviews.



Among the defendants is Alaa Abdel Fattah, a top secular activist behind the protests that led to the downfall of president Mubarak.



Already in prison for participating in an “illegal protest” in November 2013, he has been charged over comments on Twitter on 2011 raids on the offices of foreign civil society groups.



Amr Hamzawy, a well-known political science professor and former MP, and human rights lawyer Amir Salem are also among the defendants.



Alongside Abdel Fattah, they had called for Morsi’s ouster. While Morsi and some leaders of his blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood have been sentenced to death in other trials, the judiciary has also sentenced several secular activists to long jail terms. — AFP