US-based Human Rights Watch has asked the Egyptian government to reverse its recent decree branding the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, arguing that the decision is politically-motivated.
“The Egyptian government’s designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization appears to be aimed at expanding the crackdown on peaceful Brotherhood activities and imposing harsh sanctions on its supporters. The government should promptly reverse the decision and stop interfering with the Brotherhood’s health, education and other peaceful activities”, the organization said in its report.
The decision by authorities came in the wake of a deadly explosion that claimed the lives of at least 16 outside the Daqahlia Security Directorate early Tuesday. But HRW said the government blamed the attack on the Brotherhood without prior investigation, pointing to the Brotherhood’s declared denouncement of the attack.
“The government’s decision on the Muslim Brotherhood follows over five months of government efforts to vilify the group,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director, “By rushing to point the finger at the Brotherhood without investigations or evidence, the government seems motivated solely by its desire to crush a major opposition movement.”
