[JURIST] A Egyptian court on Wednesday set the trial date for the ousted president Mohamed Morsi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] for November 4. Along with Morsi, 14 other leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive], including Essam el-Erian and Mohammed el-Beltagy, will be tried [AP report] on the same day. The defendants were charged [JURIST report] in September with “incitement to murder” stemming from violent protests that took place last year. Morsi and other high-level Brotherhood members allegedly incited their supporters to murder at least 10 protesters during a violent demonstration outside the presidential palace in December. The Muslim Brotherhood has denied of having used violence.

Although Egypt has faced political unrest since the Egyptian Revolution [JURIST backgrounder] began over two years ago, the conflict peaked in July after the military deposed Morsi, suspended the nation’s constitution and installed an interim government. Last week an Egyptian court upheld [JURIST report] a one-year prison sentence against Hisham Kandil [Reuters backgrounder], the former prime minister under Morsi. Kandil was imprisoned in April for failing to follow a court order to re-nationalize a textile company sold by former president Hosni Mubarak [BBC profile; JURIST news archive]. In September an Egyptian court banned the Muslim Brotherhood [JURIST report] and ordered its assets confiscated as part of the military government’s crackdown on the group. Also in September JURIST guest columnist Liesel LeCates discussed [JURIST op-ed] whether recent sentences by an Egyptian military tribunal against supporters of Morsi were fair. In the same month Egyptian police arrested a spokesperson [JURIST report] for the Muslim Brotherhood. Earlier that month, the government extended emergency laws [JURIST report] put in place in mid-August. An Egyptian court ordered the closure [JURIST report] of four media outlets, including an affiliate of Al Jazeera, for their alleged support of the Muslim Brotherhood.