Amnesty defends Muslim Brotherhood

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 02:31:17
Sources: Agencies

The Muslim Brotherhood aims to bring Islamic law to Egypt.

Amnesty International (AI) has expressed great concern over the arrest of two Egyptian lawmakers from the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

"Amnesty International is deeply greatly concerned by the recent arrests, detention and prosecution on terrorism-related charges of leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood, apparently because of their peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of association and assembly," it said in a statement.

The brotherhood has been banned since 1954, and more than 400 of its members, including four leading activists, have been jailed in a recent clampdown by security agencies.

The group is Egypt's most potent opposition group and describes itself as a moderate Islamic organization that wants to bring Islamic law to Egypt. Under recent controversial constitutional amendments, no political party is allowed in Egypt that is religion based.

The Muslim Brotherhood has 88 seats in Egypt's 454-member legislature.