ABU DHABI, Jan 21 — Thirty men have been convicted of establishing and running a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UAE. Twenty of the men are Egyptian and ten are Emirati, with the Emiratis also convicted of sedition last July, The National reported.
The group was sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to five years, depending on the charges, while the Egyptian defendants will be deported after they serve their terms.
The members were convicted of embezzling classified files that belonged to the Supreme Council for National Security, establishing and administering a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in the country and collecting money to support it.
The Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the closure of all branches of the Brotherhood in the country the group had been running.
All funds and properties related to the group will also be seized.
Local media, delegates from the Egyptian embassy, human rights representatives and lawyer’s association members, along with 11 family members attended the hearing in the capital.
The defense lawyers and eight Emirati defendants failed to attend.
