Sedition trial verdict today

The trial in the state security case, which began on March 4, concludes today with Federal Supreme Court bench headed by Judge Falah Al Hajiri expected to hand out its verdict on the 94 defendants facing sedition charges.

Mustafa Al Zarooni

Published: Tue 2 Jul 2013, 8:51 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 10:22 AM

During the course of the trial, the Federal Supreme Court sifted through documents, scanned recordings and listened to statements made by witnesses and the accused, who denied the charges brought against them.

The 94 Emiratis — including 13 women — have been accused of belonging to a secret organisation and conspiring to seize power in the country. The women were granted bail during the course of the trial, while 10 men are being tried in absentia.

Witnesses presented by the prosecution said the group had two faces. One witness said the public face was that of Al Islah, a charity organisation but in reality it was an appendage of the Muslim Brotherhood, with a structure to recruit and mobilise people to its cause. Witnesses said the accused had set up a state within a state and this secret body had a Shura (consultative) council comprising 30 members.

The group allegedly ran offices in each emirate with committee members luring people from other sections of society, especially from among Indians and Bangladeshis, and attempted to indoctrinate them. The secret cell also had educational, PR and media, investment and dialogue committees. Recruitment committees allegedly targeted men and women. According to the witness, the accused had invested money collected from Brotherhood membership fees and charity funds to set up commercial enterprises and real estate investments held in their names to conceal their activities from the state. He claimed the accused donated five to seven per cent from their monthly salaries to the organisation.

Members of the group, some of whom were doctors and lawyers, allegedly used their network of contacts to spread falsehood against the country in the international community.

Security agencies had detected the illegal group in 2010 and monitored three meetings of its leaders, where the plot to destabilise the state was revealed.

Social networking websites and media websites were widely used by the members of the group, the court heard. A memory card was seized during a raid which provided details about the organisation’s plans.