The Criminal Court in Egypt has included 13 of the accused in a so-called "cell of hope" on the lists of terrorist entities for a period of five years, according to a decision published in the official newspaper today, Saturday.
"This decision was issued (by the court) and read out publicly at Thursday's session," the official newspaper said.
Among those included were activist and former deputy in the Egyptian parliament, Ziad Al-Alimi, writer Khaled Abu Shadi, investor Omar Al-Shaniti, and Egyptian-Palestinian political activist Rami Shaath, son of Palestinian politician Nabil Shaath, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
"The court took the decision not to attend the lawyer or the accused, and we will start taking measures after publishing the decision in the official newspaper," said lawyer and human rights activist Khaled Ali, one of the defense agents in the case - in a statement to Agence France-Presse.
The State Security Prosecution has charged these people with the most prominent of which is disrupting the provisions of the Constitution and the law, preventing state institutions from carrying out their work, and publishing false news and information about political and economic conditions in Egypt with the aim of disturbing the public peace.
The case began on June 25, when the authorities announced the arrest of eight, including prominent left-wing figures and figures, and another affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, on charges of "being involved in a scheme to strike the country's economy" and preparing a "plan of hope" to target state institutions, charges they deny and raised. The pioneers of the communication websites resented, and their sarcasm raised the paradox of the name "Hope" with the charge against them.
In 2015, the Egyptian authorities approved what is known as the “terrorist entities and terrorists” law, targeting primarily members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, before expanding the circle to include other dissidents in the following years.
According to the law, the inclusion of any group or persons on these lists is automatically followed by the reservation of funds, the travel ban, and their placement on lists waiting for arrival if they are outside the country.