TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Egypt has recently included retired football star Mohamed Aboutrika, one of the country's most renowned athletes, to the country’s list of alleged terrorists for his suspected ties to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, according to Aboutrika's lawyer Mohamed Osman as quoted by Reuters on Tuesday, January 17, 2017.
The country has previously listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and jailed thousands of its supporters since the military removed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi from office in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule.
A special committee established to seize and manage Brotherhood properties and funds had previously frozen the former player's assets.
Aboutrika denied both the allegations and his support for the Brotherhood. However, Aboutrika was seen supporting the former president's election campaign in 2012.
A terrorism law passed in 2015 and heavily criticized by international human rights groups requires Egyptian authorities to identify and list terrorist individuals and entities as well as stipulates penalties that range from five years in prison to death.
Osman also said that some 1,400 individuals have also been included in the list for their alleged ties to the Brotherhood.
REUTERS
