CAIRO – 21 June 2018: State Security Prosecution renewed Wednesday the detention of Mohamed Kassas, the deputy head of Strong Egypt Party, for 15 days over accusations of joining the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
On February 20, Kassas and 16 other members of Strong Egypt Party, including its leader Islamist politician Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, were added to the terrorist list.
Abul Fotouh and the other members of the party were arrested on February 14, and accused of a list of charges, including: inciting against the state, calling for obstructing the law, calling for boycotting the presidential election, being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, communicating with fleeing elements of the Brotherhood abroad, attempting to overthrow the regime, being a national threat, and spreading chaos.
The decision to designate them as terrorists was based on charges of spreading rumors and false statements against the state through media entities and platforms.
Kassas has been held in detention pending investigations into the case known as the “Media Axis of Muslim Brotherhood”, in which defendants are accused of joining an outlawed group, aiming to disrupt the constitution regulations, and hindering state institutions and public authorities from practicing their work.
The prosecution has also accused the defendants of publishing false news on the political and economic situations in Egypt, disrupting public peace and promoting for the Brotherhood group’s discourse that aims to shake confidence in the Egyptian state.
In addition, Egypt’s Attorney-General Nabil Sadek ordered the confiscation of assets belonging to Abul Fotouh and 15 other defendants. The decision was based on the state’s national security investigations, which revealed that the defendants were “using their money to fund terrorist activities.”
CAIRO - 21 February 2018: Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, in addition to 15 other members of the Strong Egypt Party, has officially been added to the terror list as per the sentence issued by Cairo Criminal Court on Tuesday.
The Public Prosecution's decision to include the defendants on the terrorist list was based on Article 74 of the Egyptian Constitution, which outlaws the establishment of any party based on religious ideologies, or with any religious affiliations. It was also based on Presidential Decree No. 8 of February 17, 2015, which grants the Public Prosecution the jurisdiction to decree any individuals and/or organizations as terrorists.
CAIRO - 17 May 2018: As part of Egypt's efforts to fight terrorism, several figures of terrorist groups have been included on Egypt's terrorist list because of their attempts to incite chaos across the country. On Tuesday, elements of the Helwan Brigades case were re-designated as terrorists by the court over charges, including attempts to topple the regime as well as leading terrorist attacks.
How names appear on terrorist lists
Since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013, Egypt has put several figures on a proscribed terrorist list because of their attempts to incite chaos across the country. Egypt Today gives an overview on the process of designating individuals/entities as terrorists.
As part of Egypt’s efforts to fight terrorism, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi issued a new law in 2015 that gives a broad definition of terrorist entities and the sentences against them.
The law defines terrorist entities as a group or individuals that "through any means inside or outside the country, seek to call for the disabling of laws, or prevent state institutions or public authorities from functioning, or seek to attack the personal liberty of citizens, or other freedoms and rights granted to citizens by the law and constitution, or to harm national unity or social peace."
It also includes those who commit attacks either inside or outside Egypt.
According to the law on terrorist entities (law No. 8/2015), the General Prosecution shall create a proscribed terrorist list, referred by the Egyptian court, and has the final say as to individuals’/groups’ designation as terrorists.
Those who are blacklisted in accordance with the law are “placed on travel ban lists, prevented from entering the country, have their travel passports withdrawn, are not allowed to have new travel passports, lose the stipulation of good reputation, and are not be allowed to join Parliament or take charge of public posts." The designation decision can be appealed.
Egypt has designated the Muslim Brotherhood, the Sinai-based militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, the Islamic State group, and Palestinian Hamas's military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, as terrorist groups for their violent acts, their attempts to incite chaos across the country and for claiming responsibility for a number of deadly attacks on security forces.
Most of the group’s members and leaders are either in prisons or have fled the country.
The terrorist list was updated on Tuesday with 319 new names added for three years until the court makes its final decision and 14 other names removed, due to their death or the expiry of the time limit of their designation.
The Sinai Province (Wilayat Sinai) group was also added to the terrorist list for three years, per a ruling by the Cairo Criminal Court.
Furthermore, among those on the terrorist list are famous Egyptian footballer Mohamed Abou Trika for funding the banned Muslim Brotherhood; Mohammed Badie; MB Guide, Mahmoud Ezzat; and the son-in-law of former Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater, Ayman Abdel Ghani.
Additional reporting by Marina Gamil, Walaa Ali and Mirit Agaiby
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