Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates has sent 69 Muslim Brotherhood agents
to jail on conviction of seeking to overthrown the Gulf Arab Cooperation
state.

The State Security Court, in a trial monitored by the West, convicted
most of the 94 Brotherhood suspects of a coup plot in the UAE. On July 2, 56
defendants were sentenced to 10 years and eight others, deemed fugitives,
were sentenced to 15 years.

“All the procedures and steps carried out during the trial were transparent and clear,” Judge Falah Al Hajiri said. “We allowed for all the suspects to defend themselves, either directly or through their lawyers.”

Most of the defendants, who included academics and attorneys, said their activities were not political. They said they would seek a pardon from President Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“This sentence is accepted by everyone as final and we need to move as a unified nation for the next chapter,” defense attorney Jassem Al Naqbi said. “For the families and beloved of the accused, we hope the president will consider this appeal.”

The trial has harmed UAE relations with Egypt. Officials said Egypt’s
ruling Brotherhood movement has sent agents to destabilize the UAE and other
Gulf Cooperation Council states.

In June, Abu Dhabi said it would prosecute 30 Egyptian and UAE
nationals on charges of promoting the Brotherhood. Officials said the
defendants were accused of illegally establishing a Brotherhood branch in
the UAE.

  Falah Al Hajiri, Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, State Security Court, United Arab Emirates jails Muslim Brotherhood agents for coup plot