Prosecution rejected request submitted by the legal defense of toppled President Mohamed Morsy demanding his visit at Borg al-Arab Prison, official sources said on Saturday.
The sources attributed the prosecution rejection to a prison sector decision which banned visits for Morsy due to security reasons.
Prison officials have rejected multiple visits by Morsy's defense as well as family members, saying they fear he will relay messages to the public, which could further ignite protests throughout the country.
An informed source told Al-Masry Al-Youm in early December that preventing visits to Morsy preserves the integrity of investigations as well as Morsy’s life, pointing out that violence occurred in streets after the defense team visited Morsy last time because he issued a statement from his detention.
The prosecution decision conforms to law, say the official sources, adding that prisons have the right to ban visits for an inmate so long as he is kept pending investigations and the move favors public interests and serves to protect his life.
Cairo Criminal Court will resume on 8 January trial of Morsy and others for accusation of killing protesters around Ettihadiya Palace.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
