Egypt adds former presidential candidate Aboul Fotouh to terror list

An Egyptian court on Tuesday added politician Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh and 15 other opponents to a terror list over their alleged membership in “an outlawed group” that aims to “undermine the interests of the state,” the state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

Egyptian law stipulates that the verdict is subject to appeal before the Court of Cassation, the highest appeals court in the country’s judicial system, within 60 days of its publication in the official gazette.

The decision, issued by the Southern Cairo Criminal Court, was based on a memorandum submitted by Egyptian Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadiq, MENA added.

Last week, state security prosecutors remanded Aboul Fotouh in custody for 15 days pending an investigation into charges that include spreading false news that could harm the state’s interests.

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Prosecutors accused Aboul Fotouh of leading an outlawed group, in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood which the Egyptian authorities banned and designated as a terrorist organisation in 2013, following a military coup that ousted President Mohamed Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood. The coup was led by Morsi’s then-defence minister Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who was later elected as president of Egypt.

Prosecutors accuse Aboul Fotouh and the Brotherhood of seeking to breach Egypt’s constitution and laws and to hinder state institutions’ work, violate citizens’ freedom, harm national unity, and disrupt public peace.

Aboul Fotouh, the founder of the Strong Egypt opposition party, was arrested on Wednesday, a day after his return from London where he gave an interview with Al-Jazeera channel, in which he criticized President Sisi.

Aboul-Fotouh, one of the most prominent politicians in Egypt, was arrested more than once under former President Hosni Mubarak (1981-2011). He was one of the leading figures in the Muslim Brotherhood before his membership was suspended when he ran for president in the 2012 elections.