DUBAI — An Abu Dhabi court will announce on July 2 its verdict in the trial of dozens of Emirati Islamists accused of plotting to seize power in the Gulf country, state news agency WAM reported Tuesday.



A total of 94 dissidents, eight of whom are tried in absentia, are on trial on charges of forming an organization with an aim to seize power.



The defendants, which include 13 women, are said to be linked to Al-Islah group which has links with the Muslim Brotherhood.



On Tuesday 85 defendants, including 12 women, appeared before the state security court in Abu Dhabi as defense lawyers presented their arguments at the hearing, WAM said.



The court “will announce its verdict on July 2,” said WAM.



The women had been released on bail and one of them was allowed to seek medical treatment abroad. The detainees, arrested between March and December 2012, had pledged allegiance to the rulers of the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, and urged the president to lift a ban on Al-Islah. — AFP