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Thu, 26/12/2013 - 16:41
Interior Ministry spokesperson Hani Abdel Latif said in a press
statement issued Thursday that the penalty for leading a Muslim
Brotherhood demonstration will be the death sentence, even if it is a
woman.
The harsh move comes in accordance with yesterday's declaration of
the Broterhood a terrorist organization, which was issued after the car
bombing in Mansoura that killed at least 15 people. Though an
unaffiliated terrorist group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdes, claimed
responsibility for the attack, the newly empowered political
establishment has decided to ride the wave of fear and take the
opportunity to further squash the only viable political opposition to
their rule. Meanwhile, the interim government has yet to produce
evidence linking the Brotherhood to the attack.
Following the ouster of Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsy, his
opponents have pushed forward their democratic roadmap, which will
supposedly bring the country closer to democracy. The latest move,
however, seems to be further evidence that the new path set forth by the
interim government is not one of a democracy, but rather a step back to
the Mubarak-era police state that ruled with an iron fist and snuffed
out all political opposition.
The next step in the roadmap, which is the most challenging one, is
to approve the newly amended Constitution in a referendum to be held on
14 and 15 January. In defiance, the Brotherhood has vowed to block the referendum by protesting.
Abdel Latif added that those who take part in such demonstrations
or is a part of the group's leadership will also be imprisoned.
“Anyone who promotes verbally or in writing the ideas of the group
or possesses leaflets or recordings of those ideas will also be
sentenced for five years imprisonment,” he said. “And anyone who will
assume a leadership position within the group or provide it with funds
or information will be sentenced to life imprisonment.”
He said the interior minister is holding an emergency meeting with
his aides on Thursday to devise a plan to secure all schools and
Egyptian streets in general, and to discuss ways to implement the
cabinet’s declaration of the Brotherhood a terrorist group.
“They will also discuss the Nasr City bombing that wounded five people,” he said.
The prosecutor general announced Tuesday that those who were
implicated in the recent terrorist acts were referred to the criminal
court for belonging to a terrorist group that intends to harm national
unity and social peace.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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