European Court Excludes Hamas From Terrorist Organizations List: Ruling

The Hamas movement was excluded by the European Court of Justice from the list of terrorist organizations. The EU has maintained Hamas on its list of terrorist groups since December 2001.

MOSCOW, December 17 (Sputnik) – The European General Court (EGC) has excluded the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement from the ITC list of terrorist organizations, a court ruling released Wednesday said.

"The General Court finds that the contested measures [maintaining Hamas on the European list of terrorist organizations] are based not on acts examined and confirmed in decisions of competent authorities but on factual imputations derived from the press and the internet," the judgment said.

However, the Luxembourg-based court upheld temporary measures freezing Hamas' assets for the next three months and left the possibility of appeal to the European Court of Justice within two months of the ruling.

The Hamas movement has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 and its regime is viewed differently around the world. Israel, Canada, the United States and Japan consider Hamas a terrorist organization, while Australia and Great Britain only condemn the military wing of Hamas. The movement is banned in Jordan.

Hamas leaders have visited Russia on numerous occasions to discuss the situation in the Palestinian Territories.

The European Union has maintained Hamas on its list of terrorist groups since December 2001. The organization has brought a court order against the European Council in 2010 seeking the annulment of the decision.