Justice Observatory in Egypt from 2 October to 8 October 2023

Summary:

1. The Supreme State Security Prosecution investigating 27 citizens, including 7 citizens arrested in connection with the protests that took place in Matrouh in objection to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s candidacy for a third term.
2. Cairo Economic Court – Misdemeanor Appeal supports the prison sentence issued against publisher Hisham Qassem.
3. Rotating and recycling of a citizen from Sharqia after serving a 7-year prison sentence.
4. In violation of the Criminal Procedure Code, the detention of journalist Mustafa Al-Khateeb, along with dozens of citizens, and renewal pending Supreme State Security cases.
5. State Security Prosecution retracts the decision to release 60 citizens and re-publishes a statement regarding the release of only 40 citizens after excluding 20 citizens from the release decision.
6. The release of eight citizens from Sharqia after detention outside the framework of the law for several days awaiting the arrival of a National Security signal confirming their release.
7. The death of two citizens held in pretrial detention in their prison.

Details

1- Appearance after enforced disappearance

The Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated (during the newsletter’s coverage period) 27 citizens, including 7 children, arrested in Matrouh and held in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

2- Rotation Pending New Cases:

Monday, 2 October

1. Hahia Partial Prosecution investigated citizen; Ahmed Ali Ibrahim Ezz, after his arrest that followed serving his 7-year imprisonment sentence. Then, there was disruption to the procedures of validating his release. Then, enforced disappearance for 45 days, then accusation of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news, and finally pretrial detention.

3- Detention renewal:

Monday, 2 October

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-I 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. 662 of 2020, 626 of 2021, 1935 of 2021, 1983 of 2021, 2380 of 2021, 41 of 2022, 670 of 2022, 325 of 2023, 392 of 2023, 540 of 202 3, 626 of 2023, 716 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

 

Tuesday, 3 October

1. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Circuit, renewed the detention of citizen Ossama Hisham Geneidi Mohammad for a period of 45 days in Case No. 10805 of 2021, a misdemeanor, on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
2. Same circuit renewed the detention of the citizen, Yahya Ahmed Al-Zaki, for a period of 45 days in Case No. 266 of 2021, a misdemeanor, on the same charges.
3. Same circuit renewed the detention of Citizen Salman Al-Shahat Muhammad for a period of 45 days in Case No. 265 of 2021, a misdemeanor, on the same charges.
4. Same circuit renewed the detention of the citizen/ Ahmed Mahmoud Abdel Azim for a period of 45 days in Case No. 320 of 2021, a misdemeanor, on the same charges.
5. Same circuit renewed the detention of Citizen Ibrahim Mahmoud Ibrahim for a period of 45 days in Case No. 319 of 2021, a misdemeanor, on the same charges.

 

Saturday, 7 October

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-III 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. 867 of 2005, 471 of 2017, 1331 of 2018, 563 of 2019, 1780 of 2019, 58 of 2020, 460 of 2020, 502 of 2020, 534 of 2020, 558 of 2 020, 730 for the year 2020, 786 for the year 2020 1056 for the year 2020, 590 for the year 2021, 620 for the year 2021, 656 for the year 2021, 1690 for the year 2021, 2065 for the year 2021, 2397 for the year 2021, 2714 for the year 2021, 2976 for the year 2021, 305 for the year 2022, 1633 of 2022, 1940 of 2022, 2069 For the year 2022, 2182 for the year 2022, 88 for the year 2023, 524 for the year 2023, 585 for the year 2023, 860 for the year 2023, Supreme State Security.

 

Sunday, 8 October

1. Same circuit heard a detention renewal session for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Case Numbers are 725 of 2014, 29 of 2016, 277 of 2019, 488 of 2019, including journalist Mustafa Al-Khateeb, 515 of 2019, 810 of 2019, including publisher Ismail El-Kamary, 1118 of 2019, 1318 of 2019, 1400. For the year 2019, 1470 for the year 2019, 1779 for the year 2019, 1021 for the year 2020, 1110 for the year 2020, 482 for the year 2021, 900 for the year 2021, 1934 for the year 2021, 2544 for the year 2021, 633 for the year 2022, 1097 for the year 2022, 1 643 of 2022, 2216 of 2022, 2572 of 2022, 185 of 2022, 192 of 2022, 294 of 2022, Supreme State Security.
2. Banha Total Prosecution renewed the detention of student Ahmed Hamdi Al-Sayed Suleiman, known as Ahmed Jeeka, for 15 days on charges of joining a terrorist group in Case No. 3117 of 2023, Kafr Shukr Administrative Office.

4- Release:

Monday, 2 October

1. The Zagazig Police Station, decided to release 3 citizens from Sharqia, namely Ahmed Muhammad Ali Abu Al-Ala, Omar Abdullah Hamed, Yasser Khalifa, after completing their release procedures.

 

Thursday, 5 October

1. Kafr Saqr Security Forces, decided to release 5 citizens from Sharqia Mahmoud Hosni, Ramadan Musa, Ahmed Al-Saidi, Youssef Muhammad Hassan, Reda Rajab, after completing their release procedures.

5- Trials:

Monday, 2 October

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-II Terrorism held in Badr Prison postponed the trial of 5 defendants, in the case known in the media as the Ismailia State Terrorist Cell case, to the session of October 10 2023.

 

Tuesday, 3 October

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-II Terrorism held in Badr Prison postponed the trial of 1 defendant in the case known in the media as the ISIS Helwan case to the session of November 21st, 2023.
2. Hahia Misdemeanor Court, Terrorism Circuit, postponed the trial of citizen Saber Muhammad Abdel Hamid Al-Saifi in Case No. 13766 of 2023 Hahia Misdemeanor on charges of spreading false news to the session of October 17, 2023.
3. The same circuit postponed the trial of Ashraf Muhammad Ahmed Shanab and Ali Muhammad Ahmed Imam in Case No. 81365 of 2023, a misdemeanor, on charges of spreading false news, to the session of October 17, 2023.
4. The same circuit postponed the trial of Mohamed Mehanna Mohamed Al-Sayed, Nabil Mohamed Eliwa, Abdel-Aziz Abdel-Shafea, and Mansour Mohamed Attia in Case No. 12896 of 2023, a misdemeanor charge of spreading false news, to the session of October 17, 2023.

 

Wednesday, 4 October

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Circuit-I Terrorism held in Badr Prison postponed the trial of 43 defendants, in the case known in the media as the Agouza Terrorist Cell case, to the session of October 9 2023.

 

Saturday, 7 October

1. The same Circuit postponed the trial of 11 defendants in the case known in the media as the Shorouk Terrorist Cell case to the November 7, 2023 session.

6- Judicial Rulings:

Saturday 7 October

1. Cairo Economic Court, Misdemeanor Appeals Chamber, ruled to accept the appeal by the publisher Hisham Kassem, in form and in substance, rejecting it and upholding the ruling convicting him of three months imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 pounds on charges of insulting, defaming, and intentionally disturbing Kamal Abu Aita, and three months imprisonment with work on accusing him of insulting public officials.

 

7- Prison news:

Tuesday, 3 October

1. Citizen: Alaa Fathallah Abu Heikal, died inside his prison cell in the 10فا of Ramadan Prison. He is one of the fishermen in Kafr El-Sheikh, and was in pretrial detention pending Case No. 662 of 2020 for nearly 3 years.

 

Thursday 5 October

1. Engineer Kamal Muhammad Shedeed Shaheen died inside the medical center of the 10th of Ramadan Prison. He was in pretrial detention pending case No. 1222 of 2021, a Supreme State Security investigation, after his health condition deteriorated.

 

8- Statements

Monday, 2 October

1. The Public Prosecution published a statement on its official Facebook page stating the release of 40 citizens who were held in pretrial detention pending the cases of the Supreme State Security Prosecution.

 

Legal Comment

The Ministry of Interior announced on its official Facebook page on October 3, 2023 that the protests that took place in Matrouh coincided with the activities organized by the Nation Future Party to support President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s candidacy for a third term. That there was also a quarrel between some young men in the city due to competition to take pictures with Libyan poets, and the security services were able to arrest the perpetrators of the incident.

Seven of the arrested citizens, including six children, appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution and investigated them in Cases 2202 and 2203 of the 2023 State Security Survey.

They were accused of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news, and detained in pretrial detention pending investigations, which belies the story of the Ministry of Interior, trying hard to export the scene that the masses of the people support the president’s candidacy for a third term.

 

The terrorism chambers of the Cairo Criminal Court, n Badr Prison, renewed the detention of dozens of citizens pending cases limited to investigation by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, including journalist Mustafa Al-Khateeb and publisher Ismail El-Qemary, who have entered their pretrial detention for the fourth year in violation of the provisions of the law. This happens in continuation of the trampling of the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code by the authorities entrusted with its implementation.

 

Cairo Economic Court, Misdemeanor Appeals Chamber ruled to reject the appeal by publisher Hisham Kassem against his 3-month imprisonment with enforceable labor and a fine of 20,000 pounds, on charges of insulting, slandering, and deliberately disturbing the former minister and member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, Kamal Abu Aita, as well as  3 months imprisonment on charges of insulting public officials (officers and police officers in Saida Zeinab police station).

It was expected in light of the authorities’ desire to take revenge on prominent political opponents of the current regime, despite the expected easing of repression during the presidential elections.

 

Confirming the disadvantages of prolonged pretrial detention, where dozens or even hundreds of citizens stay without any limiting oversight, Citizen Alaa Fathallah Abu Heikal, died inside their confinement in Egyptian prisons.

He was one of the fishermen arrested in Kafr El-Sheikh in 2020 in Case No. 662 and in pretrial detention for a year.

Also, citizen Kamal Muhammad Shaded Shaheen, in pretrial detention pending Case No. 1222 of 2021, was limited to a Supreme State Security investigation due to the deterioration of his health condition after his transfer from prison to the prison hospital, which confirms that Prolonged pretrial detention is the graveyard that the authorities use to get rid of citizens. It has transformed from being a precautionary measure in the interest of investigation into a tool of revenge for the benefit of the authorities.