UN Rights Office Calls For Independent Probe Into Death Of Ex-Egyptian President Morsi

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called on Tuesday for an independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of former President Mohamed Morsi's death

GENEVA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th June, 2019) The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called on Tuesday for an independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of former President Mohamed Morsi's death.

Morsi, 67, who was removed from power in 2013, died on Monday in Cairo during a court session in an espionage case. Following his death, the Egyptian Prosecutor General's Office ordered an investigation into the cause of Morsi's death. On Tuesday, it was confirmed to be a heart attack.

"As former President Mohammed Morsi was in the custody of the Egyptian authorities at the time of his death, the State is responsible for ensuring he was treated humanely and that his right to life and health were respected.� Any sudden death in custody must be followed by a prompt, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation carried out by an independent body to clarify the cause of death," OHCHR spokesman, Rupert Colville, said in a statement.

Colville added that concerns had been raised into the conditions of Morsi's nearly six-year detention and that the investigation should examine whether the conditions had led to his death.

Morsi was ousted from power in 2013 by the Egyptian army amid a wave of popular discontent caused by the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt. He was detained and sentenced to death over the organization of riots and the mass escape of prisoners from jails. The death sentence was however later revoked over lack of evidence.