The Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), was ordered dissolved on Saturday by a top court, a decision described as "political" by the Brotherhood. Muslim Brotherhood lawyer working on the case Mahmoud Aboul Enien described the case as one that is political and said "the case file does not lead to this outcome, based on legal logic." He added that the entire case took less than a month, saying this indicates that there was a desire to speed up the case. The Brotherhood said on Twitter that the decision to dissolve the party is "legally null and void". The court decision to ban the party comes at the official request of the committee governing the activities of political parties. A report by the State Commissioner's Authority had recommended dissolving of the party. The ruling, issued by the Supreme Administrative Court is final, and also orders seizing all party property and funds. Aboul Enein said Article 17 of the political parties' law rendered the litigation on the case made up of one degree, which violates a basic principle in law, which states that litigation consists of two degrees. Last month, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi formed a Supreme Electoral Commission to oversee the upcoming parliamentary elections, due to be held later this year. The court decision to dissolve the FJP means that the party cannot run for parliament. However, Aboul Enien said its members can run, as individuals, not as representatives of the party. On 15 April, the Alexandria Urgent Matters Court banned any Muslim Brotherhood member from running in any of the upcoming elections. Activities of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation were banned by court in September. In December, the cabinet of then prime minister Hazem El-Beblawi designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. Since the ouster of former president and Muslim Brotherhood politician Mohamed Morsi, Brotherhood and FJP members, including Morsi, have been the subject to an arrest campaign and numerous have been put on trial on a wide range of charges.
