The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal - State Security Division ruled today, Wednesday, to convict 53 defendants from the leadership and members of the "Muslim Brotherhood" organization, along with six companies in case No. 87 for the year 2023, known in the media as the (Justice and Dignity Organization Terrorism Case), and imposed punishments ranging from life imprisonment to fines amounting to twenty million dirhams. The court sentenced 43 defendants to life imprisonment for the crime of establishing and managing the Justice and Dignity Committee with the intent of committing terrorist acts on the state’s territory. Five defendants received 15 years in prison for cooperating with the Reform Call Organization and supporting it through articles and tweets they published on social media, knowing its anti-state objectives. Additionally, five other defendants were sentenced to ten years in prison and fined ten million dirhams each for money laundering crimes arising from the establishment and funding of a terrorist organization.
The court also imposed fines of twenty million dirhams on six companies and their officials, ordered the dissolution and closure of these companies' premises, confiscated their assets, rights, properties, and funds, and seized the materials, tools, and related items connected to the crimes attributed to them, which included money laundering by an organized criminal group and using the proceeds to finance a terrorist organization. The court declared the criminal case expired for 24 defendants involved in cooperating with and financing the Reform Call terrorist organization, and acquitted one defendant of the charges against him. It is noteworthy that this ruling is subject to appeal before the Federal Supreme Court.
The court emphasized in its ruling issued today that the crime for which the defendants were punished for establishing and managing the Justice and Dignity Committee is distinct from the crime for which they were previously tried in case No. 79 for the year 2012 related to state security. The evidence presented in the case, including confessions and statements from several defendants, witness testimonies, and technical reports, was sufficient to prove the crime against the defendants. The court was convinced that the defendants, who are members of the Reform Call Organization (Muslim Brotherhood), attempted to replicate violent events similar to those that occurred in Arab countries, leading to confrontations between security forces and crowds, resulting in casualties and destruction of properties, spreading fear and terror among people, and creating a crisis that threatens public order, stability, and the sovereignty of the state, putting individuals' lives, safety, and property at risk.
The court had reviewed the case and conducted trial proceedings over more than ten sessions, ensuring that all defendants' legal rights and guarantees were upheld, allowing them to choose their lawyers, appointing a lawyer for those without representation, and listening to their defense and their lawyers. The prosecution presented during a public session the evidentiary materials in the case, including the confessions and statements of the defendants, investigations, testimonies from state security officers, and expert witness testimonies, all of which corroborated the evidence of the crimes and the defendants' involvement, establishing that these crimes were separate from those for which they were previously tried in case No. 79 for the year 2012, referring them to the current charges under the applicable laws at the time of their commission, in accordance with the principles of non-retroactivity of penal laws and the prohibition of double jeopardy for the same act.
