Egypt court advised to dissolve Muslim Brotherhood NGO

An Egyptian judicial panel advised a court to dissolve the Muslim Brotherhood as a legally registered non-governmental organisation on Monday, judicial sources said, presenting a legal challenge to the group as the army-backed government presses a crackdown.


The court could rule as soon as Monday in the case brought by Brotherhood opponents who are seeking the dissolution of the NGO registered by the movement in March, the sources said. The court hearing the case set its next session for Nov. 12, judicial sources said.

The movement behind deposed President Mohamed Mursi, founded in 1928, formally registered itself as an NGO in response to a lawsuit that argued it had no legal status.

The Brotherhood was formally dissolved by Egypt's army rulers in 1954. The judicial panel's recommendation is not binding.

The Brotherhood operated for decades as a formally outlawed organisation until veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak was deposed in 2011. The movement then won a series of elections culminating in last year's presidential vote.

The military deposed Mursi on July 3 after mass protests against his rule. Since then, most of the Brotherhood's top leadership has been arrested and face charges of inciting violence. Mursi was himself referred to trial on Sunday on that charge.

Leader of Egypt's Brotherhood suffers heart attack in jail - state paper

Mohamed Badie, the top leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, suffered a heart attack while in jail, the state run al-Ahram newspaper said on Saturday.

Egypt's Interior Ministry said on Saturday that the top leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, was in good health and denied reports that he had died from a heart attack in prison.

The ministry's Facebook page said Badie, the Brotherhood's general guide, was "enjoying good health".

State-run news agency MENA denied a report by the private al-Nahar website, citing security sources, that Badie had died.

Many of the Brotherhood's leaders were imprisoned in recent weeks in the toughest crackdown the group has faced.


Voice of Russia, Reuters