Summary:

1. State Security investigations continue into 32 citizens on charges of terrorism and spreading false news.
2. The National Security Service in Sharqia continues to obstruct the implementation of decision by Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber to release and rotate a number of citizens pending new cases.
3. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III orders maximum prison sentences and acquittals in cases pending before it.
4. Public Prosecution releases a statement regarding releasing 70 citizens by decision of the Supreme State Security Prosecution.

Details

I.                   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:

Thursday, 28 March

• Hahia Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated citizens both Mahmoud Muhammad Okasha Al-Shall and Walid Muhammad Al-Tohami Al-Shafee, after arresting them from their homes, and accused them of joining a terrorist group and spreading false new.

II.                Rotation Pending New Cases:

Wednesday, 27 March

1. Zagazig Total Prosecution in Sharqia investigated 24 pretrial detainees after the disrupting the procedures for their release by Zagazig Criminal Court last February, and placed them in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

Thursday, 28 March

• Zagazig Total Prosecution in Sharqia investigated 5 pretrial detainees after the disrupting the procedures for their release by Zagazig Criminal Court last February, and placed them in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. They are Hani Al-Sayyed Mohamed Hegazi, Mohamed Sabri Gouda, Ahmed Mohamed Fawzi, Ahmed Amin Mohamed Eliwa, and Mohamed Abdel-Hakim Abdel-Ghani.

III.             Detention Renewal:

Tuesday, 26 March

• Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber decided to accept the appeal from the Public Prosecution to release each of 5 citizens, cancel the decision, and renew their detention for 45 days on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements. They are Muhammad Farrag, known as Abu Hood, Ahmed Al-Dhawi Al-Said Al-Dhawi, Abdel-Rahman Abdel-Raouf Rajab, Haitham Al-Alfie, and Muhammad Saad.

 

Thursday, 28 March

• Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber decided to accept the appeal from the Public Prosecution to release each of 16 citizens, cancel the decision, and renew their detention for 45 days on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements. They are Mohamed Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan Akl, Abdel Latif Salah Abdel Latif, Mustafa Mansour Mustafa, Ammar Yasser Mohamed Ahmed Hassan, Khaled Salah Ahmed Mohamed Haidah, Mohamed Abdel Magied Hassanein, Hamad Rizq Mohamed Attia, Ashour Al-Saeed Ali Mustafa, Reda Amin Mohamed, Mohamed Mustafa Mansi, Mohamed Nabil Ibrahim, Okasha Muhammad Abdullah, Muhammad Zidan Awad, Emad Suleiman Mahmoud, Magdi Mahmoud Ali Hassan, and Mahmoud Hammad.

 

Saturday, 30 March

• Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber decided to renew the detention of 16 citizens for 45 days on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements. They are Muhammad Gouda Ahmed Ghoneim, Mr. Muhammad Mohammad Al-Kashef, Mahdi Muhammad Mahdi, Raafat Othman Muhammad, Muhammad Awadein Al-Said, Muhammad Fawzi Muhammad, Radwan Muhammad Mohammad Marei, Ayman Fawzi Zaki, Mustafa Abdel Aziz, Muhammad Ismail Abdel Rahman, Ahmed Muhammad Ismail Abdel Rahman, Ahmed Radi, Hussein Al-Shaheed, Ahmed Mohamed Abdel-Hadi, known as Tyson, Ali Abdel-Fattah Amer, and Khaled Esmat.

IV.            Acquittal:

Monday, 25 March

1. Zagazig Criminal Court in Sharqia acquit to release 4 citizens (Amr Suleiman Hassan, Yousry Mohamed Abdel Raseq, Mahsoub Ahmadi Al-Said, and Ahmed Ham, with the guarantee of their residence, for exceeding the maximum limit of pretrial detention.
2. Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo released 40 pretrial detainees with guarantees of their place of residence.

 

Wednesday 27 March

• Zagazig Criminal Court in Sharqia acquit to release 13 citizens, with the guarantee of their residence, for exceeding the maximum limit of pretrial detention. They are Abdullah Al-Said Al-Saied Abdel-Al, B. Ahmed Al-Sayyed Morsi, Ahmed Raafat Abdel-Ghani, Ahmed Mohamed Kamel, Ahmed Mohamed Amin, Abdel-Rahman Abdel-Halim Mohamed, Ahmed Mohamed Nabawi, Moaz Mustafa Megahed Ghareeb, Khaled Mohamed Muhammad Manna, Ahmed Al-Sayed Hassanein Suleiman, Youssef Shaaban Attia, Hudhayfah Mahmoud Abdel Maqsoud, and Ammar Ahmed Abdel Razzaq Ahmed.

 

Thursday 28 March

1. Zagazig Criminal Court in Sharqia acquit to release 9 citizens, with the guarantee of their residence, for exceeding the maximum limit of pretrial detention. They are Hamza Muhammad Radwan, Atef Muhammad Seif, Ahmed Samir Muhammad, Bashir Abdel Halim Mahmoud Al-Kashef, Muhammad Al-Baz Hegazi, Mustafa Mansour, Essam Salah Gharib, Adel Galal, and Mansour Ahmed Al-Saeed.

V.               Release:

Wednesday, 27 March

1. The security forces at 10th of Ramadan Police Station in Sharqia released Ahmed Muhammad Qassem Taha after completing the procedures for the validity of his release by Zagazig Criminal Court last February and the arrival of the National Security signal.
2. The security forces at Kafr Al-Azazi Police Station in Sharqia released Ehab Al-Maghrabi after completing the procedures for the validity of his release and implementing the 10-year aggravated prison sentence by Cairo Criminal Court.
3. The security forces at Zagazig Police Station in Sharqia released Muhammad Ahmed Fahmy, known as Koman after completing the procedures for the validity of his release by Zagazig Criminal Court last February and the arrival of the National Security signal.

Thursday 28 March

1. The security forces at Zagazig Police Station in Sharqia released Ahmed Abdullah Nagida after completing the procedures for the validity of his release by Zagazig Criminal Court last February and the arrival of the National Security signal.
2. The security forces at 10th of Ramadan-II Police Station in Sharqia released (Ahmed Muhammad Al-Hadi Al-Asili, Essam Ahmed Salem, and Muhammad Badawi Ahmed) after completing the procedures for the validity of their release by 10th of Ramadan Misdemeanor Court on 17 March and the arrival of the National Security signal.
3. The security forces at Belbeis Police Station in Sharqia released both Ahmed Muhammad Hosni Abdel Rahman and Muhammad Adel Ali Al-Nagdi after completing the procedures for the validity of their release by Zagazig Criminal Court last February and the arrival of the National Security signal.

 

Saturday, 30 March

• The security forces at 10th of Ramadan Police Station in Sharqia released Ammar Alaa Khalil and Abdullah Shaaban Suleiman Ali after completing the procedures for the validity of their release by Zagazig Criminal Court last February and the arrival of the National Security signal.

VI.            Trials:

Monday, 25 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber –III, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 73 defendants in the case known in the media as the Specific Committees Cell case to the session on 13 May 2024.

 

Tuesday, 26 March

• Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as Al-Salam Cell case to the session on 16 April 2024.

 

Wednesday, 27 March

• Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as The Rabia Al-Adawia Operations Room case to the session on 12 May 2024.

 

 

VII.         Judicial Rulings:

Tuesday 26 March

• Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison ruled to punish 1 accused with 1 year imprisonment and ordered suspending the execution of the sentence in the case known in the media as the Hadaeq Al-Qubba Incidents case.

 

Wednesday, 27 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison ruled to acquit 1 defendant in re-trials on the death sentence against him in absentia in the case known in the media as the Damietta Terrorist Cell case.
2. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison ruled to punish 1 accused with 3 years aggravated imprisonment in the case known in the media as the Ramses Incident case.
3. Hahia Misdemeanor Court of Appeal, Terrorism Chamber ruled to punish 9 defendants to 3 months imprisonment and L.E. 500 fine each, on charges of spreading false news and statements. They are Abd al-Rahman Ahmad al-Said Hussein Gazzar, Ali Abd al-Rahman Qassem, Islam Mustafa Abd al-Hamid, Nasser Muhammad Salim Nafea, Muhammad Mahmoud Abd al-Wahab, Mahmoud al-Said Samir, Mady Abd al-Hamid Hassan, al-Said Farghali al-Shaer, Ashraf Ahmad Muhammad Shanab.

 

Thursday 28 March

• Military Criminal Court in Sharqia ruled to punish Muhammad Saadoun, with 15 years aggravated imprisonment on charges of joining a terrorist group, possessing weapons and ammunition, and trespassing on military facilities. This is the second ruling against the citizen after serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges of joining a group and possessing weapons and ammunition.

VIII.      Statements:

Monday, 25 March

1. The Public Prosecution published a statement on their official Facebook page regarding the decision of the Public Prosecutor of the State Security Prosecution to release 70 citizens in pretrial detention.

 

 

Legal Comment

Supreme State Security Prosecution continues investigating dozens.

As Supreme State Security Prosecution investigated – 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, based National Security reports. Those citizens include arrests and appearances from varying periods of disappearance.

These crimes are in the Anti-Terrorism Law, despite the difference in the circumstances, nature of each individual, as well as the circumstances, dates and places of their arrest. The charges solely rely on the investigations of National Security officers, without considering the validity of those investigations and the extent to which citizens committed the crimes under those conditions.

Investigations that usually lead to a pretrial detention decision, losing its legal and procedural legitimacy.

 

The decision by Supreme State Security Prosecution to release 40 citizens during the week in implementation of the Public Prosecutor’s statement issued regarding decisions to release 70 citizens reveals a contradiction between the statements and the actual and practical reality.

The decision still gives a glimpse of hope to those pretrial detention pending supreme state security cases, by examining their files and removing the maze of pretrial detention, especially since hundreds or even thousands of pretrial detainees and released at the same positions legally as they are all in pretrial detention, according to an investigation report from the National Security Agency.

 

National Security Service in Sharqia continues to obstruct the implementation of the decisions by Zagazig Criminal Court.

It brings back the phenomenon of rotation by obstructing the implementation of the decisions to release approximately 20 citizens and remand them in pretrial detention on the same broad charges for which they were released.

This is a clear and frank message that the first and last decision for the citizens to enjoy their freedom is in the hands of officers of the National Security Sector, as if there is no judicial authority.