On Wednesday the Egyptian higher court, overturned a criminal court order that put 1,538 defendants on the country’s terror list, including the former president Mohamed Morsi.
The criminal court order which that placed these subjects on the list was passed in 2015 under an anti-terrorism law after General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi overthrew Morsi in the coup of July 2013. Joining Mr Morsi on this list was retired footballer Mohamed Abou Trika, now a sports TV analyst in Qatar, who fled Egypt after he had been accused of supporting the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
The decision though is not final and the case has reportedly been returned back to a lower court for reconsideration.
Commentators such as political science professor Dalia Fahmy expressed scepticism stating that,
“These political prisoners will remain in prison without any legal recourse, while Mr Sisi and his repressive administration are trying to score points on the international scene answering to accusations on human rights violations."
Following the 2013 coup, there was a crackdown on dissenters and banning of the Muslim Brotherhood by President Sisi. It appears that this ruling was based on an appeal by some of the defendants, many of whom are jailed members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
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