Egypt’s Court of Cassation upheld Tuesday a decision to put 145 people on the country's "terrorism list”, after rejecting an appeal against a ruling passed by a lower court last year.
The ruling placed the 145 defendants on terror lists on June 13, 2018 for five years, including senior Brotherhood figures and three Egyptian journalists, many of whom have fled Egypt to Turkey.
The list of defendants includes TV anchors Moataz Matar, Mohamed Nasser and Hamza Zoba as well as extremist preacher Wagdy Ghoneim along with other Brotherhood leaders.
They are facing charges of plotting to carry out acts of armed violence inside Egypt and recruiting combat elements and training them inside and outside the country. They are also charged with selecting new members under the so-called Hasm cell with high physical and psychological ability.
The decision also included charges of joining a group established contrary to the provisions of the law that prevented state institutions from performing their work.
Investigations revealed that defendants used secure and encrypted applications such as Telegram through special security codes during their communications on social media. They also provided shelter and fake identities to individuals to avoid security surveillance.
The court ruling also includes freezing the assets of the defendants, putting them on the travel ban list, arrival travel watch, and withdrawing or canceling their passports, among other measures.
Department 21 of Terrorism sentenced Moataz Matar, of the pro-Brotherhood channel al-Sharq, to three years in prison after he was convicted of initiating calls for protests and spreading rumors through his program, which is broadcast from outside the country.
Mekameleen anchor, Mohamed Nasser, was also sentenced to three years for disseminating fake news and disturbing public peace.
In related news, the Military Court adjourned the trial of suspects in the case known as “Sinai Province 4” to April 2. The 555 defendants are charged with creating 43 ISIS-affiliated cells and committing 63 crimes in North Sinai.
