Egyptian rights lawyer Nasser Amin announced that ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi – currently held by the military in an undisclosed location –declined to speak to him and another rights lawyer who visited him Saturday afternoon.
Amin said that Morsi delegated his aide Refaa El-Tahtawi, who is detained along with him, to meet with the two rights lawyers on his behalf.
"[El-Tahtawi] assured us that they are being treated well and are under no pressure, but still cannot communicate with their families. He thanked us for visiting on Morsi's behalf and said that [Morsi] preferred not to talk," Amin said Saturday.
Amin, head of the Arab Centre for the Independence of the Judiciary, said that he had obtained permission for a humanitarian visit to Morsi, along with the former vice president of the National Council for Human Rights, Mohamed Fayek.
Following the meeting, Amin said that the delegation will submit a report to interim President Adly Mansour and Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi to demand Morsi and his aides be transferred to a known location and to enable them to communicate with their relatives and lawyers.
Earlier on Saturday, Egyptian interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim said that Morsi – who was deposed by the military on 3 July following nationwide protests – could be transferred to Torah prison pending investigation into legal complaints filed against him following his ouster.
The United Nations and other international organizations, as well as a number of countries, have called on Egyptian authorities to release Morsi.
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