Egypt Resumes Trial of Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Accused of Terrorism

Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Badih, AP
Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Badih, AP
TT

Egypt Resumes Trial of Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Accused of Terrorism

Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Badih, AP
Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Badih, AP

Next week, the trial sessions of several leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egyptian authorities classify as a terrorist organization, will resume in Egypt.

On May 10, the Emergency State Security Court in Egypt will complete the trial of Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Badih, Mahmoud Ezzat and 77 other leaders from the organization.

The defendants face charges of “providing the Muslim Brotherhood with material aid and orchestrating a gathering with the purpose of committing premeditated murder in implementation of a (terrorist) purpose.”

The Public Prosecution charged the defendants with “committing murder, attempted murder for the purpose of terrorism, possession of firearms and ammunition without a license, possession of cold weapons, possession of explosives, assembly with the aim of disrupting state authorities from performing their work, thuggery, blocking roads, displaying force in order to intimidate citizens, sabotage, deliberately destroy public and private property, and deliberately setting fires to public and government facilities.”

Investigations revealed that “the defendants incited protesters to gather on and block the Nasr Road (east of Cairo).”

Besides disrupting transportation on Nasr Road, demonstrators were incited to set fire to a conference hall nearby, which led to the burning of the garden attached to the premise.

“The defendants assumed leadership of a group founded in violation of the provisions of the law,” Public Prosecution said last June.

The Prosecution added that the purpose of forming the organization is to incite public disorder, prevent state institutions and public authorities from carrying out their duties, and attack the personal freedom of citizens.

Next week, the Cairo Criminal Court will also issue its ruling in the retrial of 37 defendants in the case known in the media as the “Rabaa sit-in.”

The court had earlier sentenced to death 75 defendants, including Brotherhood leaders Mohamed El-Beltagy, Essam El-Erian and Abdel-Rahman El-Bar.



Türkiye Reopens Consulate in Syria's Aleppo 

A Turkish flag is pictured on a boat in Istanbul, Türkiye, June 25, 2018. (Reuters)
A Turkish flag is pictured on a boat in Istanbul, Türkiye, June 25, 2018. (Reuters)
TT

Türkiye Reopens Consulate in Syria's Aleppo 

A Turkish flag is pictured on a boat in Istanbul, Türkiye, June 25, 2018. (Reuters)
A Turkish flag is pictured on a boat in Istanbul, Türkiye, June 25, 2018. (Reuters)

Türkiye reopened its consulate in Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, raising its flag at the building for the first time in 12 years, Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The opening on Monday comes weeks after the Turkish Embassy resumed its operations in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Dec. 14.

Türkiye had closed down its diplomatic missions in Syria in 2012 due to security concerns amid the civil war, during which Ankara supported forces opposed to the government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Prior to the Syria conflict, Aleppo, located some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Turkish border, was an important center for trade between Türkiye and Syria.