Justice Observatory in Egypt from February 12 to February 18, 2024

Summary:

1. Cairo Criminal Court rules punishing citizens with prison terms ranging from 3 to 7 years accusing them of joining a terrorist group.
2. The rotation of 2 citizens in Sharqia, to new cases by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, after the disruption of procedures for their release and enforcedly disappearing them for several days.
3. The continuation of holding criminal trials before exceptional Terrorism Court Chambers inside prisons.
4. Cairo Criminal Court Terrorism Chamber continues non-stop to renew the pretrial detention of hundreds of citizens in State Security cases.
5. The Public Prosecution publishes a statement regarding the inspection of Badr Prison-II and praises the treatment of detainees y the officials..

Details

1- Prosecution Investigations

• Supreme State Security Prosecution:

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated (during the newsletter’s coverage period) 32 citizens, and put them in pretrial detention for joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

 

• Public Prosecution:

Tuesday, 13 February

1. Menia Al-Qamh Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated (Fares Ali Abdel Hamid Al-Baha, Ashraf Gamal, and Muhammad Harbi) after arresting them from their homes, and accused them of joining a terrorist group and spreading false new.

 

Wednesday, 14 February

1. Menia Al-Qamh Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated Hamdi Shakhilae after arresting him from his home, and accused him of joining a terrorist group and spreading false new.

 

Thursday, 15 February

1. Zagazig Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated Abdel-Thaher Muhammad Abdel-Thaher after arresting him from his home, and accused him of joining a terrorist group and spreading false new.

2- Rotation Pending New Cases:

Monday, 12 February

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo investigated El-Said Abdel Salam Salmi, after disrupting the procedures for his release from Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber, enforcedly disappearing him for 8 days, and finally placed him in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

 

Thursday, 15 February

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo investigated Atef Al-Shawadfi, after disrupting the procedures for his release from Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber, enforcedly disappearing him for 10 days, and finally placed him in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

 

3- Detention Renewal:

Monday, 12 February

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 867 of 2005, 471 of 2017, 1331 of 2018, 563 of 2019, 1780 of 2019, 58 of 2020, 502 of 2020, 534 of 2020, 558 of 2020, 730 of 2020, 78 6 of 2020, 1056 of 2020, 1958 of 2020, 590 of 2021, 620 of 2021, 656 of 2021, 1960 of 2021, 2714 of 2021, 2739 of 2021, 5 of 2022, 305 of 2022, 1633 of 2022, 1635 of 2022, 1654 of 2022, 2069 of 2022, 2182 of 2022, 2365 of 2022, 86 of 2023, 392 of 2023, 524 of 2023, 717 of 2023, 1301 of 2023, 1973 of 2023, 2063 of 2023, including journalist Muhammad Saad Khattab, 2203 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

 

Tuesday, 13 February

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are725 of 2014, 29 of 2016, 277 of 2019, 488 of 2019, including journalist Mustafa Al-Khateeb, 810 of 2019, including publisher Ismail El-Qemary, 1118 of 2019, 1318 of 2019, 1400 of 2019, 1470 of The year 2019, 1779 years 2019, 335 of 2020, 1021 of 2020, 1022 of 2020, 1110 of 2020, 482 of 2021, 900 of 2021, 1934 of 2021, 2544 of 2021, 633 of 2022, 1097 Of 2022, 1643 of 2022, 1644 of 2022, 2032 of 2022, 2185 of 2022, 2216 of 2022, 2572 of 2022, 130 of 2023, 185 of 2023, 192 of 2023, 708 of 2023, 710 of 2023, 2239 of 2023 , Supreme State Security.

Sunday, 18 February

1. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber renewed the detention of Suleiman Muhammad Ahmed, Abdel Rahman Shaaban Muhammad, and Muhammad Saeed Oyoun for 45 days pending investigations in case No 2962 of 2021, Zagazig Center.
2. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber renewed the detention of Hossam El-Din Mustafa for 45 days pending investigations in case No 11417 of 2022, Zagazig Police Station-II.
3. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber renewed the detention of Ahmed Mustafa Othman for 45 days pending investigations in case No 4878 of 2022, 10th of Ramadan Police Station-I.

4- Release:

Thursday, 15 February 

1. Zagazig Total Prosecution Office in Sharqia decided to release Ali Abu Al-Fotouh Suleiman, with L.E. 5,000 bail. The release followed investigating him after enforcedly disappearing him for 8 days and accusing him of joining a terrorist organisation.

5- Trials:

Monday, 12 February

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber –III, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 19 defendants including student leader Moaz Al-Sharqawi in the case known in the media as Marg 3rd Terrorist Cell case to the session on 12 March 2024.
2. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber –II, held in Badr Prison decided to refer the trial of 1 defendant in the case known in the media as Al-Salam ISIS cell case, to Chamber-III of the same court and hear it at the session on 12 March 2024.
3. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber –II, held in Badr Prison decided to refer the trial of 1 defendant in the case known in the media as Mataria Cell case to Chamber-I of the same court and hear it at the session on 5 March 2024.

 

Tuesday, 13 February

1. Hahia Misdemeanor Court of Appeal, Terrorism Chamber in Sharqia postponed the trail of Ahmed Ali Ibrahim Ezz, on charges of publishing false news and statements and possessing publications to the sentencing session on 27 February 2024.
2. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 13 defendants, in the case known in the media as Kerdassa ISIS cell to the session on 16 April 2024.
3. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II, held in Badr Prison decided to refer the trial of 1 defendant in the case known in the media as The Cabinet Incidents case to Chamber-I of the same court and hear it at the session on 6 March 2024.
4. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II, held in Badr Prison decided to refer the trial of 1 defendant in the case known in the media as Imbaba Incidents case to Chamber-III of the same court and hear it at the session on 13 March 2024.

 

Wednesday, 14 February

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as Ramses Incidents to the sentencing session on 24 March 2024.

 

Saturday, 17 February

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 43 defendants, in the case known in the media as Agouza Terrorist Cell to the session on 21 April 2024.

6- Judicial Rulings:

Tuesday, 13 February 

1. Hahia Misdemeanor Court of Appeal, Terrorism Circuit, ruled to punish Yasser Abdel Rahman Muhammad Okasha with 3 months imprisonment with work and L.E. 500 fine on charges of spreading fake news.

 

Saturday 17 February

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, in Badr Prison ruled to punish with imprisonment for 1 defendant with 7 years, 3 defendants with 5 years and 13 defendants with 3 years, as well as the innocence of 16 defendants in the case known to media as the Joker Case,.

7- Prison news:

Saturday, 17 February

1. While complaints continue from Badr Prisons I and III, The Public Prosecution visited Badr Prison-II! The Prosecution afterwards published a statement about the quality living conditions for the inmates as well as the absence of any complaints. This was while Badr Prison-II is mostly for criminal inmates, while the complaints had come from Badr Prisons 1 and III that are for political prisoners.

Legal Comment

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 19 defendants in the case known in the media as Marg 3rd Terrorist Cell case. The defendants include student leader Moaz Al-Sharqawi. The postponement was to inquire about Al-Sharqawi’s presence in prison, since he was present at court for two consecutive sessions, in spite of his detention pending another case by decision of the State Security Prosecution since last June. During that period, his detention location has been Badr Prison-III, which raises suspicion and doubt about his condition, especially that such prison has a bad reputation regarding dealing with its detainees.

In a suspicious move, the official Facebook page of the Public Prosecution posted video scenes of members of the Public Prosecution visiting Badr Prison-II. The Attorney General had ordered the visit.

The videos showed football fields, table tennis games, and finally the prosecution team confirmed there were no complaints from the inmates. That was in spite the complaints regarding treating the inmates had come from Badr Prisons-III and I not II.