Summary:
1. Eng. Neama Hisham, wife of human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer, was arrested and detained in an unknown location for several hours before her release.
2. The release of 41 citizens by a decision of the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
3. Obstructing the implementation of the decision to release a citizen and rotating him pending a new case with the same accusations in Sharkia Governorate.
4. Continued detention of content creators Ahmed Hassanein, known as “Chocolate” and Basma Hegazy, famously known as “Warda”: for publishing a satirical video on social media platforms.
5. Assault against human rights lawyer Muhammad Al-Baqer, blogger Muhammad Oxygen, and activist Ahmed Doma, by beating them inside their prison in Badr Prison 1
6. A Republican decision to pardon the rest of the sentence for those convicted on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and Sinai Liberation Day
The Newsletter in Details:
1- Arrest and Detention:
Monday, March 17, 2023
Security forces arrested Eng. Neama Hisham, the wife of human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer, from her home in the Maadi neighborhood in Cairo Governorate, took her to an unknown destination, and detained her for several hours before she was released without being presented to any of the investigation authorities.
2- Prosecution investigations:
Investigations of the Supreme State Security Prosecution:
Supreme State Security Prosecution, during the period covered by the bulletin from 15 to 20 April 2023, investigated 33 citizens who were arrested from different governorates and on different dates.
Public Prosecution Investigations:
Sunday, April 16, 2023
1. The Hihya Partial Prosecution office interrogated the citizen / Salah Siddiq Ramadan – after he appeared from an enforced disappearance that lasted for 18 days – on charges of joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and statements, and placed him in pre-trial detention.
2. The Prosecutor of the Second Department of Zagazig investigated the citizen / Muhammad Kamel Al-Sayed Al-Kafrawi – after he appeared from an enforced disappearance that lasted for 20 days – on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements, and placed him in pre-trial detention.
3- Rotating in new issues:
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Rotation of the citizen/ Abdel-Rahman Ahmed Fouad from Al-Ibrahimiya Center in Al-Sharqia Governorate, after he was released from prison, which has not been implemented since February 19, 2023, and he was interrogated by the Tenth of Ramadan Prosecution, and he was remanded in custody on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
4- Detention Renewal:
Saturday, April 15, 2023
1. The First Chamber, Cairo Criminal Court, considered the renewal of the detention of hundreds of citizens in cases No. 630 of 2017, 640 of 2018, 1430 of 2018, 277 of 2019, 311 of 2019, 750 of 2019, 355 of 2020, 1054 of 2020 628 of 2021, 1000 of 2021, 1222 of 2021, 1869 of 2021, 1934 of 2021, 1987 of 2021, 2215 of 2021, 670 of 2022, 1473 of 2022, 2070 of 2022, 24 12 of 2022 for supreme state security>
2. Terrorism Chamber in the Zagazig Criminal Court renewed the detention of three citizens for a period of 45 days in Case No. 1395 of 2021, the Zagazig Center, on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. The same department also renewed the detention of one citizen for a period of 45 days in Case No. 1650 of 2021.
Sunday 16th April
1. The First Chamber of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court considered the renewal of the detention of hundreds of citizens in cases No. 689 of 2017, 828 of 2017, 488 of 2019. Among the defendants presented was journalist Mustafa al-Khatib, 1335 of 2019, 1470 of 2019, 1780 of 2019. 517 of 2020, 566 of 2020, 585 of 2020, 880 of 2020, 955 of 2020, 970 of 2020, 1018 of 2020, 1021 of 2020, 1055 of 2020, 482 of 2021, 657 of 202 1, 984 of 2021, 1624 of the year 2021, 1690 of 2021, 2055 of 2021, 2467 of 2021, 2714 of 2021, 2976 of 2021, 305 of 2022, 670 of 2022, 1493 of 2022, 1539 of 2022, 1540 of 202 2, 1650 of 2022, 1940 of 2022, 1958 of 2022, 2070 of 2022, 2182 of 2022, 2365 of 2022 Supreme State Security.
2. Terrorism Chamber in the Zagazig Criminal Court renewed the detention of three citizens for a period of 45 days in Case No. 74521 of 2015 Zagazig Center, two citizens in Case No. 2828 of 2021, and one citizen for a period of 45 days in Case No. 2828 of 2021 Zagazig Center on charges of joining terrorist group and spreading false news
Tuesday 18th April
1. The First Chamber, Cairo Criminal Court, considered the renewal of the detention of hundreds of citizens held in pretrial detention pending cases No. 29 of 2016, 277 of 2019, 515 of 2019, 750 of 2019, 810 of 2019. Among the defendants presented is the publisher Ismail El Kemary, 1118 of 2019, 1318 of 2019, 1400 of 2019, 1470 of 2019, 1779 of 2019, 662 of 2020, 1021 of 2020, 1110 of 2020, 482 of 2021, 1934 of 2021, 2739 of 20 21, 1020 of 2022, 1097 of 2022 , 1391 of 2022, 1572 of 2022, 1635 of 2022, 1643 of 2022, 1654 of 2022, 1660 of 2022, 2094 of 2022, 2135 of 2022, 2183 of 2022, 2184 of 2022, 2185 of 2022, 2216 of 2022 Supreme State Security.
2. Zagazig Criminal Court renewed the detention of three citizens for a period of 45 days on charges of joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and statements, after accepting the Public Prosecution’s appeal against the decision to release them issued on April 16, 2023.
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
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First Chamber of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court considered the detention renewal session of hundreds of citizens detained in pretrial detention pending cases No. 471 of 2017, 1331 of 2018, 311 of 2019, 1118 of 2019, 1780 of 2019, 58 of 2020, 502 of 2020. 558 of 2020, 730 of 2020, 1056 of 2020, 590 of 2021, 620 of 2021, 656 of 2021, 900 of 2021, 2065 of 2021, 2544 of 2021, 2714 of 2021, 305 of 20 22, 1633 for the year 2022, 1893 for the year 2022, 2069 for the year 2022, the security of a supreme state.
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Zagazig Criminal Court renewed the detention of the citizen/ Muhammad Abdullah Abdullah Al-Sadiq for a period of 45 days in Case No. 2103 of 2021, Zagazig Center, on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news, and the citizen / Mr. Sobhi Hassan for 45 days in Case No. 22694 of 2022, Zagazig Center, on the same accusations.
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Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of content creators Ahmed Hassanein, known as “#chocolate”, and Basma Jazy, known as “Warda” for 15 days, pending investigations in Case 184 of 2023 Supreme State Security, on the grounds that they published a satirical sketch about a visit payed by “Warda” to her fiancé in prison.
5- Release
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Zagazig Criminal Court decided to release three citizens who were held in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news by guaranteeing their place of residence. The Public Prosecution appealed the decision, and the session was set for April 18, 2023.
Monday 17th April
Supreme State Security Prosecution issued a decision to release 41 citizens – including journalist and producer of Al-Jazeera news network, Hisham Abdel Aziz – who are being held in pretrial detention pending the cases it is investigating, with a guarantee of their place of residence.
6- Set free
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Security forces at Abu Kabir police station in Sharkia governorate set 15 citizens free after completing procedures for their release.
Monday, April 17, 2023
Security forces set Eng. Neama Hisham free, after arresting her from her family’s house and taking her to an unknown destination without presenting her to any of the investigation authorities.
7- Trials
Saturday, April 15, 2023
First Chamber of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court postponed the trial of 5 defendants in the case known in the media as the Ismailia Cell case to the session of May 23, 2023.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
The First Chamber of Terrorism at the Cairo Criminal Court postponed the trial of 20 accused of joining a terrorist group, spreading news and smuggling money abroad, to May 24, 2023.
8- Legislations and decisions:
Saturday, April 15, 2023
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued Republican Decree No. 152 of 2023 regarding amnesty for the remainder of their sentences for those sentenced on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and the Sinai Liberation Day.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
The Official Gazette published in its issue No. 15 bis Law No. 24 of 2023 regarding the determination of the summer time work system
Monday, April 17, 2023
The official page of Ministry of Interior on the social networking site Facebook published the decision of Minister of Interior to grant inmates in reform and rehabilitation centers (two exceptional visits) during the period from Saturday 4-22-2023, to be completed after the end of the official vacation until Wednesday 31-5-2023 On the occasion of the celebrations of Eid al-Fitr and the Sinai Liberation Day.
9- Statements and Declaration
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Ministry of Youth and Sports issued a statement, which it published on its official page on the social networking site Facebook, regarding the ruling issued by the Administrative Court to remove the membership of the president of Zamalek club, Mortada Mansour, from his position, stressing that the ministry will take measures and issue legal decisions in compliance with the ruling issued.
10- News about prisons, “Reform and Rehabilitation centers”:
Sunday, March 16, 2023
Eng. Neama Hisham, the wife of the human rights lawyer Muhammad Al-Baqer, published after her visit to his prison in the Badr 1 Reform and Rehabilitation Center that the human rights lawyer, along with blogger Muhammad Oxygen and activist Ahmed Doma, were beaten and physically tortured by being subjected to discipline from April 10 to April 13 without clothes and without food or drink.
Legal Comment
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The security services continued to follow the “Visitors of Dawn” system when they arrested Eng. Neama Hisham, the wife of human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer, from her family’s home in the Maadi neighborhood, at dawn on Monday, April 17, 2023, and took her to one of the National Security headquarters after obtaining her personal phone, after several hours have passed since the wife of the human rights lawyer posted on her page on the social networking site Facebook after his visit inside his prison that he, along with the blogger Muhammad Oxygen and the activist Ahmed Doma, was beaten by the security forces present in the Badr 1 Reform and Rehabilitation Center and caused injuries to him – and they detained her for several hours without appearing before any of the investigation authorities, and without informing them of the reasons for her arrest
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The form of assault by the security forces and the warden of Badr 1 prison on the human rights lawyer Muhammad al-Baqer, the blogger Muhammad Oxygen, the activist Ahmed Doma and the politician Hamid Siddiq inside their prison in Badr 1 prison and gagging their mouths, which resulted in injuries to both the human rights lawyer Muhammad al-Baqer in his mouth and the wrist of his hand and injuries to one of blogger Muhammad’s ribs Oxygen and taking them to the disciplinary cells without eating, drinking, or medical care and with only their underwear is a crime that requires the Public Prosecution to investigate and refer those responsible for the incident to criminal trial, considering that this violation is a full-fledged physical torture crime against the perpetrator that does not lapse by statute of limitations in accordance with the text of Article 52 of the Egyptian constitution.
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The security forces in the Sharkia governorate suspended the implementation of release decisions and judgments issued in favor of citizens and rotated them again pending new cases bearing the same accusations, after the National Security Agency detained the citizen Abdel Rahman Ahmed Fouad for 56 days and suspended the implementation of the release decision issued in his favor by Zagazig Criminal Court on February 19, 2023 to consolidate and prove to all the security services the upper hand on the rights and freedoms of citizens.
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Criminal courts continued to issue decisions to renew the detention of hundreds of those brought before them throughout the week without a single court decision to release them confirming that pretrial detention has turned from being a measure to maintain the progress of investigations and turned it into a punishment under which thousands of citizens spend months or years without completing the investigation. By the Public Prosecution or submitting them to a substantive trial in which the ruling will be decided.