Egypt dissolves Muslim Brotherhood political party

CAIRO - An Egyptian court ruled on Saturday to dissolve the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, and to liquidate all its assets, according to the state-run Ahram online.

The committee of the political parties' affairs, responsible for granting licenses to newly-formed parties in Egypt, had filed an official request to dissolve the party which was established after the January 25 uprising which toppled president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The Supreme Administrative Court's decision which dissolved the party was based on the investigations carried out by the State Security Prosecution which proved violations committed by the FJP to the conditions set for the work of the political parties in Egypt.

The State Commissioners' Authority had issued a report recommending the dissolution of the party, which was upheld by the court in Saturday's session.

The Muslim Brotherhood, from which ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi hails, has been blacklisted by authorities in Egypt as a terrorist group last February, and its members were also banned by a court ruling in April from running for presidential and parliamentary elections.

Morsi was toppled by the military last year after nationwide protests against his one-year rule.

Since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July, Brotherhood supporters have staged protests that often turned violent.

Last October, Egypt's Ministry of Social Solidarity dissolved the Muslim Brotherhood as a non-governmental organization (NGO). However, the court ruling hadn't applied over the FJP, which its formation is connected to the party laws not the NGOs jurisdictions.

The Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters have been facing a security crackdown. Thousands have been placed in prisons and hundreds have been killed in clashes with security forces.

The authorities are accusing the group of plotting attacks on the state security installations.