Deposed Egyptian Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, in a statement attributed to him, said there will be no stability in the country "without removing consequences of the coup" that unseated him in July.
Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, was ousted by the army July 3 after massive street protests against his one-year rule.
"Egypt will not recover without removing the consequences of the coup and holding to account those responsible for shedding Egyptians' blood," he said in a statement read out on his behalf on Wednesday by a lawyer who visited him in a prison on Tuesday.
Morsi's overthrow triggered mass protests and street violence in Egypt, leaving hundreds dead.
"This coup is a crime and treason," lawyer Mohammed al-Damati quoted Morsi as saying. "I see this coup starting to collapse."
The lawyer told reporters that Morsi insisted he was still the president of the country.
Earlier this month, an Egyptian court opened Morsi's trial on charges of inciting the killing of opposition protesters outside the presidential palace in December. The trial is to resume on January 8.
A Cairo court on Wednesday sentenced 12 pro-Morsi students to 17 years in prison each, on charges of thuggery, vandalism and possessing bladed weapons, reported the state Middle East News Agency.
The defendants were found guilty of attacking last month the Cairo-based headquarters of al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's most prestigious institution, and damaging public and private properties, according to the report.
The court also ordered each student to pay 64,000 pounds ($A9,814) to suspend the enforcement of the verdict pending a final decision from the appeals court, added the agency.
The head of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb, blessed in public Morsi's ouster, infuriating the Brotherhood's followers.
Egyptian universities have seen clashes between students backing and opposing Morsi since the academic year began in late September.
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