(AFP PHOTO / TAREK EL-GABASS)
The Maadi Misdemeanour Court of Appeal acquitted, Sunday, Anas El-Beltagy, son of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed El-Beltagy. It also upheld the ruling of six months imprisonment in absentia for his mother, Sanaa Abdel Gawad, in the “assault on a Tora Prison guard” case, state owned Al-Ahram reported.
The defendants in the case appealed the initial six months imprisonment ruling and a bail of EGP 5,000, issued on 29 March. The Court accepted Anas El-Beltagy’s appeal, but upheld the initial ruling for his mother. They were charged with verbally assaulting a public official while performing his duty, according to Al-Ahram.
Anas El-Beltagy was also among five students who were accused in the case dubbed as the “Marriott Cell”, and charged with “belonging to and supporting a terrorist organisation”. They were also charged with “disseminating false news” and “disturbing public peace.” El-Beltagy was acquitted of all charges by the court.
The “Marriott Cell” case, which involves the three Al-Jazeera journalists Baher Mohamed, Mohamed Fahmy and Peter Greste, is currently undergoing a retrial.
Brotherhood leader Mohamed Al-Beltagy, who was Secretary General of the group’s political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), was arrested in a rural village in Giza following Morsi’s ouster.
The FJP was dissolved in August 2014 by the Supreme Administrative Court, a ruling which also meant the seizing of all party property and funds.
Former president Mohamed Morsi along with 12 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including Mohamed El-Beltagy and Essam El-Erian, were sentenced on 21 April to 20 years in prison in the ‘Presidential Palace’ case.
Since Morsi’s ouster, Brotherhood leaders and FJP members, including Morsi, have been the subject of an arrest campaign and numerous have been put on trial on a wide range of charges and have received prison sentences.
