Activists to challenge freeze on their assets

Liberal and leftist activists will legally challenge the court's decision to freeze their assets this week, defendant Amr Ali told Mada Masr.

The activists say they were not formally notified of the decision, but rather were surprised to find their names in media reports announcing that 112 individuals were singled out by the judicial committee tasked with identifying Muslim Brotherhood assets and their owners.

The general prosecutor then announced the decision to freeze the assets of all those implicated by the list, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Sunday, following media leaks on the matter that circulated on Saturday.

The list mainly includes people affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the National Alliance Supporting Legitimacy. It also includes Revolutionary Socialist leading members Hesham Fouad and Haytham Mohamadeen, April 6 member Amr Ali and activist Khaled al-Sayed.

Ali says that the activists are currently working on confirming the news from official sources and will then proceed to challenge it in court.

In comments posted to his Facebook page, Fouad argued that the ruling proves that any speculation that the regime was willing to reconcile with revolutionary forces, whether by releasing detainees or any other measures, is futile, and also illustrates that the state still considers the security solution the only way to go.

“Additionally, the counter-revolution, as all counter-revolutions in the world have done, continues to target January’s revolutionaries, to take vengeful measures against them out of fear that they will recreate the great spectacle of Tahrir Square,” Fouad said.

In September 2013, a court banned the Muslim Brotherhood and ordered the confiscation of its assets. A judicial committee was then formed to identify and freeze all Muslim Brotherhood assets. Since then, several lists incriminating Brotherhood-affiliated personalities and their assets have been issued.

Other figures on the list include Islamic Scholar Youssef Karadawy, deposed President Mohamed Morsi's son and former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mohamed Mahsoub.