584 Verdict in Brotherhood Military Trial Postponed Again
As expected, the military tribunal trying 40 leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood has delayed its verdict until April 15, after the April 8 local council elections. Deputy Supreme Guide Mohammad Habib described the decision as political:
Court officials confirmed a verdict was delayed for the men, including the group’s third-in-command Khairat el-Shatir, on trial over charges of belonging to a banned group and having anti-government literature.
“It (the government) doesn’t want to fight multiple battles at the same time, and feels that the rulings would have a negative effect on its image on the societal level,” Habib said.
He said that was true “especially as the whole world, whether in terms of public opinion or civil society, rejects in principle transferring civilians to military courts”. [Reuters]
Thirty-six of the men (four are being tried in absentia) have been in prison for more than a year. An ordinary criminal court acquitted 17 of them of the same charges in January 2007. Police re-arrested them moments after they were freed, and President Mubarak subsequently ordered their cases transfered to a military court.
The Brotherhood says more than 800 of its members are currently in jail, including 148 would-be candidates in the local council elections.
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