Justice Observatory in Egypt from March 4 to March 10, 2024

Summary:

1. State Security investigations continue into citizens on charges of terrorism and spreading false news.
2. The rotation of 5 citizens in Sharqia, to new cases by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, after the disruption of procedures for their release.
3. Cairo Criminal Court Terrorism Chamber continues non-stop to renew the pretrial detention of dozens of citizens in State Security cases.
4. Ministry of Interior grants prisoners two exceptional visits during the month of Ramadan.
5. The Supreme State Security Prosecution refers 3 cases to the Cairo Court of Appeal to consider the merits of the accusations against them.
6. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber replaces the pretrial detention of 25 citizens with precautionary measures.
7. The death of the citizen/Ahmed Muhammad Abu Al-Yazid Al-Beltagi, in pre-trial detention in Abu Zaabal prison.
8. Death sentences and life imprisonment for a number of Muslim Brotherhood leader in the case known in the media as AlManassa Incident case.

Details

1- Prosecution Investigations

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated (during the newsletter’s coverage period) 15 citizens, and put them in pretrial detention for joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

2- Rotation Pending New Cases:

Tuesday 5 March

1. Zagazig Total Prosecution in Sharqia investigated Muhammad Abd al-Hamid Abd al-Rahman Haroun, after the disrupting the procedures for his release by Zagazig Criminal Court, and placed him in pretrial detention.

Thursday 7 March

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo investigated Gamal Ahmed Mohammed Al-Said Hassan, Ahmed Al-Said Ahmed Shehata, Abdo Bekhiet, and Alaa Ragab, after the disrupting the procedures for their release by Zagazig Criminal Court.

3- Detention Renewal:

Monday 4 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 376 of 2012, 630 of 2017, 563 of 2020, 566 of 2020, 575 of 2020, 880 of 2020, 955 of 2020 including photojournalist Hamdi Al-Zaeem, 960 of 2020, 1018 of 2020, 1058 of 2020, 1196 of 2020, 65 of 2021 including activist Nermin Hussein, 984 of 2021, 1413 of 2021, 2121 of 2021, 2174 of 2021, 2581 of 2021, 330 of 2022, 1576 of 2022, 1655 of 2022, 1940 of 2022, including Human rights lawyer Ahmed Nazir Al-Helu, 88 of the year 2023, 453 of the year 2023, 585 of the year 2023, 860 of the year 2023, 1232 of the year 2023, 1233 of the year 2023, 1976 of the year 2023, 2123 of the year 2023, 2153 of the year 2023, 2154 Of 2023, 2194 of 2023, 2635 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

 

Tuesday 5 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 441 of 2018, 1175 of 2018, 470 of 2019, 800 of 2019, 930 of 2019, 1450 of 2019, 1480 of 2019, 1530 of 2019, 1781 of 2019, 570 of 2020 580 of 2020, 812 of 2020, 855 of 2020, 865 of 2020, 1017 of 2020, 915 of 2021, 991 of 2021, 1983 of 2021, 2175 of 2021, 1 of 2022 (copied from 1269 of 2019), 440 of 2022, 10 42 of 2022 (copied from 420 of 2017 ), 1096 of 2022, 1394 of 2022, 2 of 2023 (copied from 1660 of 2022), 540 of 2023, 744 of 2023, 1977 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

 

Wednesday 6 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 316 of 2017, 238 of 2021including journalist Tawfiq Ghanem and human rights lawyer Mr. Khalaf, 1222 of 2021, 1391 of 2022, 1480 of 2022, 2135 of 2022, 2216 of 2022, 184 of 2023, 18 5 of 2023, 192 of the year 2023, 203 of 2023, 260 of 2023, 333 of 2023, 352 of 2023, 716 of 2023, 2064 of 2023, 2284 of 2023, 2469 of 2023, Supreme State Security.
2. The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of activist Ahmed Hamdi Al-Said, known as Ahmed Jeeka, for 15 days pending case No. 165 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

 

Saturday 9 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 900 of 2017, 441 of 2018, 1270 of 2019, 1325 of 2019, 1480 of 2019, 2007 of 2019, 1022 of 2020, 1052 of 2020, 335 of 2020, 569 of 202 0, 577 of 2020, 615 of 2020, 984 of 2020, 595 of 2021, 965 of 2021, 2013 of 2021, 1910 of 2022, 94 of 2022, 41 of 2022, 440 of 2022, 1493 of 2022, 1516 of 2022, 1644 of 2022, 2185 of 2022, 2369 of 2022, 708 of 2022, 710 of 2023, 1816 of 2023, 130 of 2023, 1467 of 2023, 2125 of 2023, 1 of 2023, 2464 of 2023,Supreme State Security.

 

Sunday 10 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 1935 in 2021, 1983 in 2021, 2113 in 2021, 2380 in 2021, 626 in 2021, 662 in 2021, 41 in 2022, 540 in 2023, 2119 in 2023, 1977 in 2023 2526 of 2023, 325 of 2023, 440 of 2023,Supreme State Security.

4- Release from court:

Tuesday, 5 March

1. Zagazig Criminal Court in Sharqia decided to acquit 25 citizens, with precautionary measures on charges of joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and statements.

 

Thursday, 7 March

1. The Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to acquit Hani Said Abu Al-Hamd Khalil, Sharif Ragab Suleiman Abu Al-Magd, Mohsen Hassan Ali Hosni Abdullah, and Muhammad Attia Abdel Hamid Rashid with the guarantee of their residence in Case No. 2070 of 2022 Supreme State Security. It also acquitted Maher Muhammad Ahmed Mahmoud Sarhan, with a guarantee of his residence, in Case No. 2094 of 2022, Supreme State Security.

5- Release from police custody:

Tuesday, 5 March

1. The security forces in Sharqia released Osama Hisham Geneidi, Hamad Saber Abdel Hamid, Ahmed Masood, and Muhammad Reda after completing the procedures for the validity of their release.

 

Thursday 7 March

1. The security forces at Zagazig Police Station in Sharqia released Muhammad Abd al-Hadi Abd al-Wahab al-Muselhi and Salah al-Bakri after completing the procedures for the validity of their release and the arrival of the National Security signal.

6- Trials:

Monday, 4 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber –I, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 6 defendants in the case known in the media as Al-Hadaeq Cell case to the session on 18 May 2024.

 

Tuesday 5 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 9 defendants, of publishing false news and statements and possessing publications for the purpose of promoting the ideas of a terrorist group until 26 March 2024.
2. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as Mataria Incident case to the sentencing session on 19 May 2024.
3. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as 2nd Mohamed Mahmoud Incident case and an another defendant in the Cabinet case to the session on 19 May 2024.

 

Saturday, 9 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 111 defendants, in the case known in the media as Hasm Terrorist Cell to the session on 28 April 2024.

7- Judicial Rulings:

Monday, 4 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed ruled to punish 8 Muslim Brotherhood leaders including the general guide, with death sentences by hanging, punish 37 defendants with life imprisonment, punish 6 defendants with 15 years of aggravated imprisonment, punish 7 defendants with 10 years of aggravated imprisonment, and acquit 21 in the case known in the media as the Al-Manassa Incidents case.

8- Actions of the Public Prosecution:

Tuesday 5 March

1. The Supreme State Security Prosecution referred the defendants in Case Nos. 1869 of 2021, 2147 of 2021 and 2741 of 2021 to the Cairo Court of Appeals to designate one of the terrorism chambers to consider the matter regarding the accusations against the defendants in those cases.

9- Prison news:

Wednesday, 6 March

1. The death of Ahmed Muhammad Abu Al-Yazid Al-Beltagi in his Abu Zaabal prison cell. He was in pretrial detention in Case No. 2902 of 2023, Supreme State Security, since last October, after he appeared inside the Supreme State Security Prosecution in a state of severe fatigue following a 20 days disappearance in one of the National Security headquarters.

 

Friday, 8 March

1. Ministry of Interior grants prisoners two exceptional visits during the month of Ramadan.

Legal Comment

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison brought down the curtain on one of the major cases that Egypt witnessed in 2013, with killing approximately 75 people and injuring thousands of protesters protesting in Rabia Al-Adawia Square.

The court sentenced 8 Muslim Brotherhood leaders including the general guide to death by hanging, in addition to issuing life sentences and aggravated imprisonment, and acquittal rulings in the case known in the media as the Al-Manassa Incident case.

All defendants of those conviction rulings have the right to appeal those rulings in accordance with the latest amendment issued to the Code of Criminal Procedure, so that different chamber from that issued the ruling could preview the case.

The cases before and during the trial lacked the rules and principles of a fair and just trial, starting with the Public Prosecution investigations, through holding the trial in prison headquarters, and depriving the imprisoned defendants of communicating with their families and their defenses, which made the rulings arbitrary.

The renewal of detention of approximately 1,000 citizens in pretrial detention this week, including those who exceeded the maximum limit of pretrial detention stipulated in the aforementioned article, led by photojournalist Hamdi Al-Zaim, activist Nermeen Hussein, and others who deserve mandatory release.