Egypt court bans all Brotherhood activities

Egyptian court bans all activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and seizes assets of Morsi's "backers".

An Egyptian court has banned all the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and ordered the assets of the backers of ousted president Mohamed Morsi seized, state television has announced.

The court's ruling on Monday comes amid a crackdown on the Brotherhood and more than a month after hundreds of Islamist protesters died in a police operation to disperse their Cairo sit-ins, sparking a wave of nationwide violence.

Along with the security push, courts in Egypt have also been used to crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, its leaders, and its activities, since a coup overthrew former President Mohamed Morsi in July.

There are about a dozen legal claims currently filed before various courts around the country to ban the MB, freeze its assets, and jail leaders.

The Muslim Brotherhood has three main entities in the Egypt, including a political party established in 2011, an NGO established this march, and the group itself. The group's structure, also known as the Tanzeem, does not have any legal status but has been organising the group for decades under former ruler Hosni Mubarak.

Protest restricted

Officially, there is no Tanzeem and it has no members on paper, even though it is the most influential entity that the MB has in Egypt.

An administrative court has been looking for months into a major case on banning the group. The court is adjourned until November.

Banning the activities of the MB today will serve to restrict the ability of its members and affiliates to protest.

The suit heard in court today was filed by Mohmoud Abdullah, a lawyer with the socialist Tagammu Party.

Tagammu is seen as a hardline secular party, which co-operated with Mubarak against the Muslim Brotherhood during his rule, and performed poorly in recent parliamentary elections.

Abdullah's lawsuit claimed that the MB represents "a harm to national security" and that it disrupts "public safety and harmony".