One Year After Morsi's Ousting: How has Egypt Changed?

It has been one year since former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi was ousted following a coup led by the army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is the current president of Egypt.

Morsi's ousting has led to some of the worst violence ever seen in Egypt. Hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between pro and anti-Morsi protesters and thousands have been arrested.

One year after Morsi's overthrow, Egypt is still rocked by violence and harsh crackdowns on human rights.

Why was Morsi removed?

The prominent leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Islamic organisation, Morsi served as president of Egypt from 30 June 2012 to 3 July 2013.

Morsi earned the votes of around 11 million Egyptians in the 2012 elections. According to some, however, the large support was mainly a consequence of the dislike among Egyptians for his rival during the elections, Ahmed Shafik, who served as Prime Minister of Egypt under the rule of Hosni Mubarak, overthrown during the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.

Morsi's presidency was marred by continuous protests due to the downward spiral of social and economic conditions in a country that had been in turmoil for over one year.

Shortly after the election, thousands of anti-Morsi protesters took to the street demanding his ousting and removal for new elections. This set in motion a series of protests, resulting in the death of hundreds, before Morsi was eventually ousted in a coup led by Sisi. The army abolished the constitution and promised new elections.

A new constitution was enforced in the country in January 2014 and Sisi was elected as the new president of Egypt three months later.

The new government branded the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group and also accused Morsi of ordering the death of hundreds of protesters.

Morsi also faces allegations that he conspired with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah to "smuggle arms, organise military training for group members, and to stir chaos and threaten national security".

The trial is ongoing.

Egypt after Morsi

Following Morsi's ousting violent clashes resulted in the death of hundreds.

Western countries and the UN condemned the "excessive use of force" by the military to quell the violence.

The new, army-backed government sparked global outrage when, in March 2014, it sentenced 529 members of the Muslim Brotherhood to death in the biggest single capital punishment ruling in history.

The crackdown on Morsi's supporters continued along with the incarceration of human rights activists and journalists.

In June 2014, activist and writer Karam Saber was sentenced to five years in jail for writing a book considered by the authorities to be promoting atheism in the country. Leading activist and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah was sentenced to 15 years for violating a protest law and other charges.

In the same month, three Al Jazeera journalists were sentenced by a Cairo court to seven years each in a maximum security prison. Other journalists for the Qatari-based network, tried in absentia, received 10-year prison sentences.

Egypt has been also accused of torturing detainees as part of a brutal crackdown on dissent.

Up to 20,000 people have been held by Egyptian authorities since last July, and many are emerging from state custody with tales of brutal beatings, electric shocks and sexual abuse. Violence against women is also believed to be on the rise.

Egyptian Journalist and Commentator Dr Nervana Mahmood said that after the Arab Spring women are being targeted even more in Egypt, especially if they participate in rallies on the streets.

Egyptians will keep protesting

Since the overthrow of Morsi, the country has plunged into turmoil and seems unable to find the necessary stability that can allow it to recover from years of revolts.

As activist and actor Khaled Abdalla, who took part in the 2011 protests in Egypt, said in an interview in January 2014: "I don't see any imminent economic improvement, any form of accountability, any imminent form of pluralism, so as long at those things don't exist, the ferment will continue."

Unless Egypt finds a government which guarantees basic human rights and promotes the development of the country, Egyptians will keep protesting.