Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood legalized: lawyer

CAIRO, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has already been legalized, the group's lawyer said on Wednesday evening.

On Wednesday, the State Commissioners Authority of the Supreme Administrative Court issued a report recommending to dismantle the Brotherhood, arguing that "the group does not have a legal basis."

A few hours later, however, the Brotherhood's lawyer Abdel- Moniem Abdel-Maqsoud said in a statement that the judicial body's report was meaningless, since the Brotherhood had already been legalized.

In the statement posted on the official website of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, the lawyer explained that the Brotherhood had not announced its legalization before, because it considered the issue too insignificant to affect its legitimacy.

The lawyer questioned the timing of the report, noting that it coincided with calls against the Brotherhood and constant protests and assaults against its headquarters.

The Brotherhood represents the main supporters of Islamist- oriented President Mohamed Morsi, who headed the group's Freedom and Justice Party before coming into office.

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