Egyptian regime media attempt to erase Morsi's legacy

Egyptian pro-regime media have attempted to bury reports on the death of the country's first democratically elected president
2 min read
18 June, 2019
Pro-regime news websites largely ignored Morsi's death [TNA]

Egyptian pro-regime media have attempted to bury reports on the death of the country's first democratically-elected president.

Most Egyptian dailies barely mentioned Mohamed Morsi's dramatic collapse and death inside a Cairo courtroom on Monday.

Most Egyptian state-owned dailies only carried brief reports on Morsi's death, buried in the back pages of Tuesday editions.

The tiny reports referred to him by his full name but not his position as former president.

Pro-regime news websites similarly ignored the news, while Arab and international media have provided extensive coverage to Morsi and the poor conditions Egyptian authorities held him in since he was ousted by military coup six-years-ago.

Following the news of his death, Egyptian television channels went into feverish overdrive labelling Morsi's Brotherhood a "terrorist group" and playing a looping tagline of "The Brothers are liars".

Talk show host Ahmed Moussa launched a tirade against Morsi on his programme Monday evening.

Moussa, a staunch supporter of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, labelled the ex-president a "killer, criminal and spy".

Egyptian authorities buried the 67-year-old in a dawn ceremony closed to the public and press early on Tuesday.

Morsi, a leader in the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, was jailed a year into his presidential term following a Sisi-led overthrow.

He spent most of his final days in solitary confinement, was denied healthcare and largely barred from receiving visitors.

A chorus of officials and figures from around the world have paid tribute to Morsi, as the UN backed calls for an independent investigation into the causes of his death.