About 50 people formed the Egyptian Revolutionary Council in Istanbul on Friday, to protest against the involvement of the military establishment in Egyptian politics following the removal last year of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, by a coalition led by Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, a member of the Egyptian parliament during Morsi's presidency, said: "The military coup kidnapped the president and put him behind bars, killed thousands of Egyptians and put many politicians in jail, many of them are elected members of parliament like me." He said the group, which comprises intellectuals, politicians, pro-Muslim Brotherhood supporters, Christians and leftists, wanted to mobilize the Egyptian community in different countries so they would speak to their politicians to raise awareness of the humanitarian tragedy in Egypt. Dardery said he believed many countries and governments would back the council, but was unable to name supportive states. Spokesman Mohammed Sharif Kamil said the council was an organization aimed at unifying Egyptian political forces and individuals outside of Egypt, and from across the political and ideological spectrum, who adhered to the principles of the January 25th Egyptian Revolution of 2011, which led to the ouster of autocratic President Hosni Mubarak after his three decades in power.
Kamil said the group believed in constitutional legitimacy and the establishment of a civil state.
He said: "We will increase our efforts on the international stage in particular on the political, legal and human rights level as well as in the media, in order to mobilize the necessary support for the revolution so as to resist the military regime and its repressive measures."
He also called on revolutionary forces and youths opposed to the military regime to overcome the past differences and build a new joint vision for the future.
Since his removal following massive opposition protests against his administration, Morsi's supporters have staged rallies almost daily to denounce what they describe as being a "military coup" against the elected president, and to call for his reinstatement.