Mohamed Aboutrika's name was removed from terrorism and travel ban lists in Egypt

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Today, Saturday, the Court of Cassation in Egypt overturned a decision to include more than 1,500 people on terrorist lists, led by Egyptian football legend Mohamed Aboutrika.

Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali wrote on his Facebook account, “The Court of Cassation ruled in our favor to cancel the Criminal Court’s decision to include us on terrorist lists in Case No. 620 of 2018 State Security.” 

Ali continued: “This is the famous case in the name of the football player Aboutrika, which includes more than 1,500 defendants, who have been listed since 2017, and the cassation ruled at that time to cancel the listing, so in 2018 they were included for a period of 5 years ending in 2023, and the cassation then approved this listing.” .

The human rights lawyer added: “We thought the file would end at this point, but we were surprised that in April 2023, the prosecution submitted a request to extend the period for a new five years under Application No. 5 of 2018, and the Criminal Court ruled to include them, so we appealed before the Criminal Court under Appeal No. 12 of 2023, and the Criminal Court heard the pleading.” Today (Saturday), I decided to accept the cassation requests, cancel the Criminal Court’s decision, and return the case for consideration with another circuit.”

Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported that the new ruling cancels the previous criminal court decision “and the resulting travel ban, placement on watch lists, access, and seizure of funds.”

The Egyptian authorities had accused Aboutrika, who has lived for a long time in Qatar and worked there as an analyst for the beIN Sports network, of contributing to the financing of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, which Cairo classified at the end of 2013 as a “terrorist organization.”

According to an anti-terrorism law approved by the Egyptian authorities in 2015, penalties are imposed on people listed on terrorism lists, including preventing them from leaving the country, confiscating their passports, and freezing their financial assets.

Aboutrika (45 years old), the former Al-Ahly club striker who has retired since 2013, is considered one of the most prominent football stars in Egypt and Africa, as he was chosen four times as the best African player in an African club, and contributed to the Egyptian national team’s dominance in the continental championship between 2006 and 2010, as he scored He won two African Nations titles in 2006 and 2008, and he also missed the 2010 championship in which the “Pharaohs” won due to injury.