Egypt’s highest appellate court, the Court of Cassation, has nullified a prior ruling that placed Mohamed Aboutrika, a celebrated former football player for Egypt and Al Ahly, on a terrorism list.
On Saturday, the court also reversed the listing of 120 other individuals, which includes Yusuf Al-Qaradawi’s sons and Pakinam El-Sharqawi, a former Political Sciences professor at Cairo University. These cases have been redirected to a different criminal court circuit for reassessment.
Originally in 2017, a criminal court had designated 1,529 people, including Aboutrika, as terrorists in connection with their alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt has labeled a terrorist organization. However, in July 2018, the Court of Cassation overturned this ruling.
Subsequently, in 2018, a separate criminal court ruling placed these individuals on a terrorism list for five years, a decision upheld by the Court of Cassation. In April 2023, prosecutors sought a five-year extension, which the criminal court approved. This decision was challenged by the defendants’ lawyers, leading to the recent reversal by the Court of Cassation.
Mohamed Aboutrika, now 45, is widely regarded as one of Egypt’s football legends, having played primarily as an attacking midfielder and forward. His illustrious career includes finishing second in the 2008 African Footballer of the Year awards, being nominated in 2006 and again in 2013. Aboutrika also helped secure the African Cup of Nations titles for Egypt in 2006 and 2008.
