UAE to try 30 over Brotherhood links
Iran Press TV
Fri Jun 21, 2013 8:35AM GMT
The United Arab Emirates is set to put on trial 30 Egyptians and Emiratis on charges of running an illegal branch of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Emirati state news agency WAM reported on June 19 that some in the group had “set up and operated a branch of an organization with an international nature… for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt without a license.”
The report also quoted prosecutor Ahmed al-Danhani as saying that the group had attempted to recruit new members and received financial assistance from a “secret organization that had sought to seize power in the country.”
According to the report, the 30-member group is accused of stealing sensitive electronic material regarding the same “secret organization” from a government department.
The group has been referred to the Federal Supreme Court, the prosecutor said.
Danhani made the remarks in apparent reference to a group of 94 Emirati nationals who are awaiting trial over their charges of plotting to overthrow the government.
Ahmed Aref, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, said he was not aware of the trial.
“A lot of these files are not dealt with in a way that protects people’s rights and the charges are trials for political opinions,” Aref said, adding, “They are dealt with using a security mentality similar to pre-revolution times in Egypt.”
Relations between Cairo and Abu Dhabi soured following the detention of eleven Egyptian nationals in early 2013, who allegedly held “secret meetings” across the country and “recruited Egyptian expats in the UAE to join their ranks,” according to Emirati media.
On January 3, Egypt sent a delegation of senior officials to the UAE to discuss the release of its nationals with Emirati officials. However, Abu Dhabi rejected Cairo’s call to free them.
In April, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry also summoned the Emirati charge d’affaires over the fate of the detained Egyptians, who are reportedly believed to be part of the group of 30 facing trial in the United Arab Emirates.
MKA/HSN
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