Official: Canada and the UK have not responded to Egypt's request for cooperation during Brotherhood investigation

The United Kingdom and Canada have not responded to requests made by the Egyptian government to cooperate with the two countries in investigations into whether the Muslim Brotherhood is involved in terrorist activities, an official at the Egyptian Ministry of Justice said.

“Canada and Britain, who initially expressed interest in joining Egyptian authorities in investigating the Brotherhood’s involvement in terrorism cases inside and outside Egypt, have not responded to any of our requests for cooperation,” the official told the Anadolu news agency on condition of anonymity.

He added that the two states have not responded although Egypt sent them a file comprising the Brotherhood’s “crimes” in full.

International law conventions deem the failure to respond to Egypt’s request a refusal to cooperation with Egypt.

The Egyptian authorities have not officially confirmed what the source said. Anadolu could not obtain immediate comments on the issue from the Canadian or British authorities.

The Egyptian source linked the Canadian and British decision not to cooperate with Egypt to the understandings that have been reached by the two countries’ parliaments with Brotherhood leaders living there.

This is in addition to the two countries’ dissatisfaction with the sentences issued by an Egyptian court against journalist as well as the death sentences issued against leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egyptian courts recently issued mass death sentences against hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood leaders, members and supporters after they were charged with committing acts of violence.

Last month, the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced 11 defendants, including three foreign correspondents, up to 10 years in absentia, and another seven, including an Australian Al-Jazeera journalist, to seven years in prison. The journalists were accused of inciting against Egypt through faking scenes and false news and broadcasting them on Qatar’s Al-Jazeera.

These sentences were widely condemned internationally.

The Egyptian official said: “Egypt told Canada and Britain that the Egyptian judiciary is independent and no one can intervene with its rulings, which angered them and led them to decide not to cooperate with Egypt in the investigations into the Brotherhood’s crimes.”

Egypt has repeatedly stated that court rulings are independent and are not “politicised” and must not be commented on.

It accused the Muslim Brotherhood of committing terrorist activities after the ouster of President-elect Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013. The government declared the Brotherhood a “terrorist organisation” in December. But the Brotherhood denies these accusations and affirms that it is committed to peaceful protests against the Egyptian regime.