CAIRO: An Egyptian court has banned the April 6 youth movement that helped engineer the 2011 uprising that led to the ouster of longtime autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.

The ruling is seen by activists as part of a government- orchestrated campaign to stifle opposition and dissent.

The court in Cairo ruled in a suit filed by a lawyer who demanded the banning of the group over allegations it “tarnished the image of the Egyptian state” and conspired against the country’s national interests.

Leaders of April 6 — Ahmed Maher and Mohammed Adel — have been jailed for violating a new protest law that requires that any demonstration must have a police permit.

Monday’s ruling by the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters can be suspended by a higher tribunal.