Turkish President Erdogan blames Egypt 'tyrants' for Morsi's death
Istanbul, Jun 17: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday blamed Egypt's "tyrants" for the death of former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi who died in a Cairo hospital after fainting during a court session.
"History will never forget those tyrants who led to his death by putting him in jail and threatening him with execution," Erdogan, a close ally of Morsi, said in a televised speech in Istanbul.
Relations between Turkey and Egypt have been virtually non-existent since the Egyptian military, then led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in 2013 ousted Islamist president Morsi. Sisi has since become president.
Erdogan has strongly denounced Morsi's ouster as a "coup" and called for the release of Muslim Brotherhood prisoners in Egypt.
The Turkish leader described Morsi's death as a "symbol of persecution targeting him and his people" and called the ex-president as a "martyr." "In our eyes, Morsi is a martyr who lost his life for the sake of a case he believed in," he said.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: "The coup moved him (Morsi) away from the power but his memory will not be erased." In an earlier comment, Erdogan took aim at Sisi, calling him a "tyrant" who took power in a "coup" and who has trampled on democracy.
The West has remained silent," Erdogan said, accusing European Union member states of turning a blind eye to executions in Egypt.
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Mitchell scripts New Zealand's series-levelling win
Rajkot (PTI): Daryl Mitchell (131) struck a composed unbeaten hundred and shared a 162-run stand with Will Young (87) to guide New Zealand to a series-levelling seven-wicket win over India in the second ODI here Wednesday.
Chasing a stiff 285 on a slowish pitch, New Zealand romped home in 47.3 overs with Mitchell anchoring the chase.
The series-decider will be played in Indore on Sunday.
Earlier, KL Rahul hit a combative 112 to lead India to a competitive 284 for seven.
India were off to a confident start with Rohit Sharma (24) and skipper Shubhman Gil (56) adding 70 runs for the first wicket but Kiwi spinners snatched the momentum with disciplined bowling in middle overs.
Virat Kohli (23), Ravindra Jadeja (27) got starts but could not convert them into big knocks.
Brief Scores:
India: 284 for 7 in 50 overs. (KL Rahul 112 not out, S Gill 56; Kristian Clarke 3/56).
New Zealand: 286 for 3 in overs. (D Mitchell 131 not out, W Young 87; P Krishna 1/49).
