Summary:

1. The Supreme State Security Prosecution investigating 29 citizens on charges of terrorism and spreading false news.
2. Renewing the detention of dozens of citizens pending cases of the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
3. The appearance of YouTuber Haitham Khalifa at the State Security Prosecution and his detention for 15 days
4. The release of the father of journalist Ahmed Jamal Ziada by decision of the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
5. The affirmation of the sentence issued against activist Mohamed Adel to 4 years in prison on charges of spreading false news.

Details

1. Appearance after enforced disappearance

Monday, 18 September

1. Security forces at Kafr Saqr Police Station arrested the citizen, Muhammad Al-Didamouni, from his home and took him to an unknown destination, and no investigative authority has interrogated him yet.

Tuesday, 19 September

1. Security forces at Zagazig Police Station in Sharqia arrested the citizen Wael Abdel-Ghani Muhammad Salim from his home and took him to an unknown destination, and no investigative authority has interrogated him yet.
2. Security forces at Ibrahimia Police Station arrested two citizens; Muhammad Saeed Mahdi, and Muhammad Arafa Noor al-Din, from their homes and took them to an unknown destination, and no investigative authority have interrogated them yet.
3. After the appearance of pharmacist blogger Haitham Khalifa at the State Security Prosecution, whose arrest was on September 13, the prosecution charged him with the same charges of “spreading false news and joining a provocative group.” Khalifa was included in Case No. 2123 of 2023, State Security.

2. Prosecution Investigations:

• Supreme State Security Prosecution:

1. The Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated (during the newsletter’s coverage period) 29 citizens, and detained them in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

• Public Prosecution:

Wednesday, 20 September

1. The Ibrahimia Partial Prosecution investigated four citizens, Mohammad Saeed Mahdi, Muhammad Arafa Noor Aldine, Ahmed Essam Muhammad Bendari, and Abdullah Essam Muhammad Bendari, charging them of joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and statements.

Thursday, 21 September

1. 10^th of Ramadan Prosecution Office in investigated four citizen, Al Saied Ahmed Mustafa Al-Gharbawi, Sayyed Abdul-Aziz Muhammad, Bahaa El-Din Muhammad Attia Negm, Abdul Hamid Haggag Ibrahim Suleiman Mohamed Hilal, accusing them of joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and statements, and placing them in pretrial detention pending investigations.
2. Abu Kebir Prosecution investigated two citizens; Mohamed Fathi Atta and Ahmed Salah, accusing them of joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and statements, and placing them in pretrial detention pending investigations.

3. Recycling Pending New Cases:

Thursday, 21 September

1. Zagazig Total Prosecution investigated two citizens; Abdullah Mahmoud Muhammad Okasha, and Muhammad Saeed Ahmed Abdel Qader Balah, after rotating them under new cases and accusing them of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and data, and after suspending the decision to release them by Zagazig Criminal Court at the beginning of July 2023.

4. Detention Renewal:

Monday, 18 September

1. Banha Criminal Court rejected the appeal submitted by activist Ahmed Hamdi Al-Sayed Suleiman, known as Ahmed Jeeka, against the decision to detain him in pretrial detention for 15 days and upheld the decision in Case No. 3117 of 2023, Kafr Shukr Administrative Office..

Wednesday 20 September

1. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism circuit renewed the detention of Saleh Mahmoud Saleh Hashem in Case No. 48312 of 2021, Zagazig, Mustafa Magdi Mohamed Hamouda in Case No. 24696 of 2022, Zagazig, and Muhammad Mustafa Mosaad Ahmed El-Sherbini in Case No. 16226 of 2022, Zagazig for 45 days pending investigations.

Saturday, 23 September

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-II Terrorism, in Badr Prison heard a detention renewal session for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Case Numbers are Case Nos. 316 of 2017, 1175 of 2018, 238 of 2021. Among the defendants presented are journalist writer Tawfiq Ghanem and human rights lawyer Mr. Khalaf, 482 of 2021, 1222 of 2021, 1391 of 2022, 1940 of 2022, 2135 of 2022. , 2216 of 2022, 185 of 2023, 192 of 2023, 294 of 2023, 540 of 2023, 585 of 2023 Supreme State Security.
2. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism circuit renewed the detention of Abdul Rahman Bakir Abdul Azim Mahmoud and Saleh Abdul Rahman Saleh for a period of 45 days pending investigations in Case No. 51314 of 2021 Zagazig Center on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements.
3. Banha Total Prosecution renewed the detention of Ahmed Hamdi Al-Said Suleiman, known as Ahmed Jeeka, for 15 days on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news in Case No. 3117 of 2023, Kafr Shukr Administrative.

Sunday 24 September

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Circuit in Badr Prison heard the renewal session of dozens of citizens detained in pretrial detention pending cases. Cases numbers are, case numbers 148 of 2017, 441 of 2018, 1175 of 2018, 470 of 2019, 800 of 2019, 930 of 2019, 1450 of 2019, 1530 of the year. 2019, 1781 for the year 2019, 570 for the year 2020, 580 for the year 2020, 855 for the year 2020, 865 for the year 2020, 1017 for the year 2020, 915 for the year 2021, 991 for the year 2021, 2175 for the year 2021, 1 for the year 2022 (copied from 1269 of 2019), 440 For the year 2022, 1042 for the year 2022 (copied from 420 for the year 2017), 1096 for the year 2022, 1660 for the year 2022, 744 for the year 2023 Supreme State Security.

5. Release:

Wednesday, 20 September

1. The Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to release seven members of the campaign of potential presidential candidate Ahmed Tantawi: Abdullah Magdi Mustafa, Muhammad Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid, Abdel-Fadil Atef Abdel-Fadil, Mahmoud Mamdouh Abdel-Rahman, Ramadan Abdel-Shafi Mahrous, Abdel-Hadi Hussein Abu Saghir, and Alaa El-Din Mustafa. Abdel-Al, with a financial guarantee of 20 thousand pounds for each of them.
2. The Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to release citizen Gamal Abdel Hamid, father of journalist Ahmed Gamal Ziada, with guarantee of his residence in Case No. 2064 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

6. Acquittal

Saturday, 23 September

1. Security forces at Zagazig Police Station released two citizens, Rami Ibrahim Salah, and Abdel Hamid Mohamed Abdel Hamid after detention for more than a month awaiting the arrival of the National Security signal, after the decision to release them from Zagazig Criminal Court at the session of July 26, 2023.

7. Trials:

Wednesday, 20 September

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-I Terrorism held in Badr Prison postponed the trial of 76 defendants, including the General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, in the case known in the media as the Platform Events case, to the session of December 3, 2023.

Thursday, 21 September

1. Nasr City State Security Misdemeanor Court decided to extend the sentence against engineer Yahya Hussein Abdel Hadi until next November 9, on the grounds of broadcasting false news outside and inside the country and spreading terror among citizens.

Saturday, 23 September

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-III Terrorism held in Badr Prison postponed the trial of 111 defendants in the case known in the media as the case of Talae’ Hasm (fledglings of Hasm) to the October 1, 2023 session.

Sunday, 24 September

1. The same circuit held in Badr Prison postponed the trial of 57 defendants in the case known in the media as the Specific Committees Cell case to the session of October 2, 2023.

8. Judicial Rulings:

Monday, 18 September

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-I Terrorism held in Badr Prison ruled to punish one defendant with life imprisonment in the case known in the media as the Libya ISIS cell.

Tuesday, 19 September

1. The same circuit in Badr Prison sentenced a defendant to 5 years in prison and included him on the lists of terrorist entities in the case known in the media as the Helwan ISIS cell case.

Wednesday 20 September

1. Agga Misdemeanor Court of Appeal upheld the sentence issued against political activist and member of the April 6 Movement, Mohamed Adel, to 4 years imprisonment after on charges of spreading false news and statements.
2. South Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-XIV Criminal, held in the consultation room, ruled to accept Request No. 3 of 2023 Decisions to Remove the Listing of Terrorists, issued in Case No. 590 of 2021 Supreme State Security, submitted by the Attorney General Advisor, to remove the name of Hossam Muhammad Talaat Salem Al-Ghamri from the list of terrorists.

9. Legislations and Decisions::

Wednesday 20 September

1. In its issue No. 209, continued (A), issued on September 20, 2023, the Egyptian Gazette published the decision of the South Cairo Criminal Court (15th Circuit), removing Hossam Al-Ghamri’s name from the list of terrorists.

10. Prison news:

Monday, 18 September

1. Citizen/ Ibrahim Al-Said Abdel-Muttalib Al-Sheikh died inside his cell in Abu Zaabal Prison, who had been imprisoned since September 2020 after suffering a health crisis inside the cell and being transferred to the prison hospital.

Tuesday, 21 September

1. The Egyptian Network for Human Rights published an attempt by citizen Abdullah Rabie Ibrahim Ramadan, who was imprisoned in the 10^th of Ramadan Prison, to commit suicide inside his prison cell as a result of the conditions of his detention and rotation more than once.

Legal Comment

The decision of the Supreme State Security Prosecution to release citizen Gamal Abdel Hamid, father of journalist Ahmed Gamal Ziada, came as a step to correct what he was exposed to. The journalist’s father has been subjected to injustice since his arrest and taken to an unknown destination before presentation to the Supreme State Security Prosecution, interrogation and questioning about his son and his journalistic work. All this followed by the decision to detain him in pretrial detention for a period of nearly a month without him committing a crime punishable by law.

This raises a very important question: when will the National Security stop pursuing the relatives of political opponents and when will the Public Prosecution intervene to protect citizens from the oppression of the National Security?

The ruling issued by the Misdemeanor Court of Appeal upheld the ruling issued by the Misdemeanor Court against the political activist and member of the April 6 Movement, Mohamed Adel, to 4 years imprisonment, confirming the systematic targeting of the political activist.

The targeting began since his arrest in 2018, while he was serving the supervision imposed on him, and his referral to the Public Prosecution, and then his rotation in more than one case before the aforementioned ruling. Now Mohamed Adel’s only hope is a pardon from the sentence issued against him.

During the week, two citizens from Sharqia appeared after rotation in new cases on the same charges after being forcibly disappeared for more than a month, beginning a new phase of pretrial detention. This appearance occurred amid complete disregard for citizens’ complaints about their relatives enforced disappearance following the decisions to release them.

Recycling citizens on new cases is now a punishment and opens an important question: How long will the people of Sharqia continue to be punished, either by continuing security campaigns and arresting them, or by continuing their arbitrary pretrial detention, leading to the disruption of the procedures for their release and recycling them in connection with new cases?