Egyptian court convicts Islamists

The Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt's oldest Islamist group

An Egyptian military court has convicted 16 men - mainly academics and professionals - of belonging to the outlawed Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Muslim Brotherhood

Arab world's oldest fundamentalist group

Began as peaceful youth group in 1920s

Became gradually militarised during 1930s and 1940s

Banned in 1954

Numbers: Unknown, but probably thousands particularly in southern Egypt

Twenty-two defendants went on trial late last year on charges of subversion, sedition and of recruiting new members for the group.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which was banned in 1954, says it wants to establish an Islamic state in Egypt through democratic means.

Five of the men received five year jail terms, and 11 were sentenced to three years. Six men were acquitted.

The BBC's Nick Thorpe in Cairo says they have fallen victim to a current government crackdown on all forms of dissent, both Muslim and non-Muslim.

No appeal

The men will be unable to appeal against their convictions - the ruling by a military court can only be reversed by the president.

Local and international rights groups believe that the military courts violate defendants' rights to a fair trial before an impartial judiciary.

They also say that the 22 men were targeted on the basis of their beliefs, and that no-one should be jailed for non-violent political activities.

The five who received five-year jail terms included several university teachers, an engineer and an accountant.

Earlier this month, police arrested 28 other alleged members of the Brotherhood.

Those arrested were planning a demonstration in Cairo's al-Azhar mosque to "stir the public against the regime".

Sometimes tolerated

The Muslim Brotherhood was banned by former President Gamal Abdel Nasser after an attempt on his life in 1954.

Thousands of its members were held without trial over a 20-year period, and some of its leaders executed.

Since 1995, hundreds of Brotherhood members have been tried and scores imprisoned.

Despite the ban on their activities, and the arrests, the group has been tolerated by the government at certain levels.

Seventeen "independent" candidates backed by the Muslim Brotherhood won seats in Egypt's 454-member parliament in 2000.