News / Middle East

US Calls for Morsi's Release

FILE - Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi addresses a conference June 26, 2013 in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency photo)
FILE - Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi addresses a conference June 26, 2013 in Cairo (Egyptian Presidency photo)
The Obama administration is calling on Egyptian authorities to release deposed president Mohamed Morsi from detention.  Morsi has been under house arrest since Egyptian troops removed him from power last week.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki says President Morsi should be freed as part of a push to include all political actors in a transitional authority, including Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

"An inclusive and sustainable democracy where all sectors of society, where all Egyptian people are fully represented, will represent all sides.  And we feel that includes of course the Muslim Brotherhood and other representatives that have been detained," said Psaki.

Muslim Brotherhood members are rejecting Egypt's military-appointed interim authorities and are demanding Morsi's return to power just one year after he took office.

Psaki says the United States is still evaluating events in Egypt to determine whether President Morsi's ouster was a coup - an important legal distinction that would affect more than $1 billion of U.S. assistance to Egypt.

While Obama administration officials have expressed concern about illegal detentions since the military's move, this is the first time Washington has called for Morsi's release.

While Psaki would not say outright that the United States no longer considers him to be Egypt's rightful ruler, she did say that senior U.S. officials are already meeting with interim President Adly Mansour.

"Moving forward with an inclusive process is what we would like to see.  And while, yes, we of course recognize that President Morsi was democratically elected, the question, and I have said this before as have many other officials, it's about more than what happens at the ballot box.  Most democratic transitions take years to take root and stabilize, especially following decades of autocratic rule," she said.

Asked if the United States would object to Morsi running again for president, Psaki said that is for Egyptians to decide.

You May Like

Video Russian Moves Provide New Mission for NATO

Moscow’s aggressive posturing in Europe during past year has pushed alliance to take new steps to strengthen its defenses, seek new purpose More

Gmail Blocked in China

Internet transparency monitor GreatFire.org reports the e-mail service is 84 percent blocked in the country after months of disruptions More

Video Observers: Africa Must Plan for Baby Boom Now

Experts predict a baby boom so massive that by the year 2050, four out of 10 people will be African More

Featured Videos

Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
Russians Head Into Holiday Facing Economic Malaisei
X
Daniel Schearf
December 25, 2014 4:34 PM
Russian preparations for the New Year holiday are clouded by economic recession and a tumbling currency, the ruble. Nonetheless, people in the Russian capital appear to be in a festive mood. VOA's Daniel Schearf reports from Moscow.
Video

Video Russians Head Into Holiday Facing Economic Malaise

Russian preparations for the New Year holiday are clouded by economic recession and a tumbling currency, the ruble. Nonetheless, people in the Russian capital appear to be in a festive mood. VOA's Daniel Schearf reports from Moscow.
Video

Video Mombasa in Holiday Tourism Slump Due to Security Fears

Kenya's usually popular beachside tourist destination of Mombasa is seeing a much slower holiday season this year due to fears of insecurity as the country has suffered from a string of terror attacks linked to Somali militants. Mohammed Yusuf reports for VOA on how businessmen and tourists feel about the situation.
Video

Video For Somalis, 2014 Marked by Political Instability Within Government

While Somalia has long been torn apart by warfare and violence, this year one of the country's biggest challenges has come from within the government, as political infighting curtails the country's progress, threatens security gains and disappoints the international community. VOA's Gabe Joselow report.
Video

Video 2014 Saw Intensification of Boko Haram Insurgency

The year 2014 saw Nigerian militant sect Boko Haram intensify its five-year insurgency and target civilians in large numbers as it seized territory in the northeast. The kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok in April sparked global outrage, but failed to become the turning point against the sect that Nigeria’s president said it would be. The picture at year's end is one of devastation and uncertainty. VOA’s Anne Look reports.
Video

Video Estimates Rising of Foreign Fighters in Iraq, Syria

Foreign fighters are making more of a mark on the battles raging across Syria and Iraq than initially thought. VOA's Jeff Seldin has more.
Video

Video US Political Shift Could Affect Iran Nuclear Talks

Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts to resolve Iran’s nuclear crisis are continuing into 2015 after Iran and six world powers failed to agree by a November deadline. U.S. domestic politics, however, could complicate efforts to reach a deal in the new year. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins has the story.
Video

Video NYSE: The Icon of Capitalism

From its humble beginnings in 1792 to its status as an economic bellweather for the world, the New York Stock Exchange is an integral part of the story of America. VOA’s Bernard Shusman reports from Wall Street.
Video

Video Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Fight to Survive Water Crisis

In a region choking from dwindling water supplies, Lebanon has long been regarded as one of the few places where there is enough. But in recent years, half the people in the country have faced severe shortages. And the more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon are hit the worst by the water crisis, making the country's most vulnerable people increasingly impoverished and sick. Heather Murdock reports for VOA in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.

Circumventing Censorship

An Internet Primer for Healthy Web Habits

As surveillance and censoring technologies advance, so, too, do new tools for your computer or mobile device that help protect your privacy and break through Internet censorship.
More

All About America

AppleAndroid