Egypt confiscates assets of 46 Muslim Brotherhood members

Rasa - A committee affiliated with Egypt’s Justice Ministry has ordered the confiscation of assets belonging to 46 members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the latest in a widening government crackdown on the banned movement.

News ID: 425239

Date: 22 November 2016 - 22:17

RNA - The committee issued the order on Monday, seizing companies involved in trade, construction, and pharmaceuticals.

Reports said notable individuals were among the owners of the companies and businesses confiscated, including Mohammed Abdel-Gawad, who served as the head of Egypt's pharmacists’ union during the rule of Mohamed Morsi, a senior Brotherhood leader and former Egyptian president who was ousted in a coup in 2013.

The Muslim Brotherhood was once Egypt's largest opposition group and still enjoys a huge public support. However, the government of current president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi outlawed the movement when the former army chief took power more than two years ago. Thousands of Brotherhood members and supporters have been jailed while key figures have been sentenced to death or life in prison.

Sisi’s government has also confiscated assets of scores of Brotherhood members as part of the massive crackdown. The assets include schools, hospitals, and companies across the country.

On Sunday, Brotherhood officials rejected claims by some members that the movement was ready for reconciliation with Sisi.

In a statement, the group said it could not compromise on “the rights of the martyrs and injured, the detainees’ right to freedom and the people’s right to honorable life.”

It added that the Muslim Brotherhood will never give up legitimacy -- in reference to Morsi as the first democratically-elected president of Egypt.

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