Court rejects Brotherhood trial

Khayrat al-Shatir in a courtroom cell with his co-defendants

A court in Egypt has declared invalid a presidential order that a group of Muslim Brotherhood members stand trial in a military court.

One of the group, who went on trial last month, is a senior Brotherhood figure, Khayrat al-Shatir.

They are believed to be charged with membership of a banned organisation, money-laundering and backing terrorism.

It was the first time in seven years that Brotherhood members had stood trial under military jurisdiction.

A civilian court has twice ordered the release of Mr Shatir and some of the other defendants, but the authorities overturned the rulings under Egypt's long-standing emergency legislation.

The Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed in Egypt, but has traditionally been tolerated.

The Brotherhood ran in the legislative elections in 2005, with candidates standing as independents, and won 88 seats in the 454 parliament.