Justice Observatory in Egypt from January 29 to February 4, 2024

Summary:

1. State Security investigations continue into 28 citizens on charges of terrorism and spreading false news.
2. Rotating 3 citizens in Sharqia, to new cases by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, after the disruption of procedures for their release.
3. Renewal of detention of hundreds of citizens in new cases by the Supreme State Security on terrorism charges.
4. The continuation of holding criminal trials before exceptional court circuits and inside prisons, away from the courts affiliated with the Ministry of Justice.
5. Release of 5 citizens in Sharqia after detention outside the frame of the law waiting for the signal from state security.
6. Ministry of Interior denies reports of an exchange of fire between security forces and gold merchants.
7. The Supreme State Security Prosecution refers a number of cases to criminal courts to decide on the merits of the accusations.

Details

1- Prosecution Investigations

• Supreme State Security Prosecution:

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated (during the newsletter’s coverage period) 28 citizens, and put them in pretrial detention for joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

 

• Public Prosecution:

Saturday 3 February

1. 10th of Ramadan Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated 3 citizens (Mustafa Al-Gesawi, Ibrahim Reda Ibrahim Abu Al-Oyoun, and Muhammad Hassan Ahmed Hassan) after arresting them, putting them in enforced disappearance for 7 days, and accused them of joining a terrorist group and spreading false new.

 

2- Rotation Pending New Cases:

Thursday, 1 February

1. Zagazig Prosecution in Sharqia investigated Mahmoud Alaa after disrupting the procedures for his release as per the Criminal Court 10 days prior, and placed him in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
2. Zagazig Prosecution in Sharqia investigated Ahmed Abdel Raouf after disrupting the procedures for his release as per the Criminal Court 10 days prior, and placed him in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

 

Saturday, 3 February

1. Zagazig Prosecution in Sharqia investigated Mohamed Eid after the disrupting the procedures for his release, placing him in enforced disappearance for a few days, and placed him in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

3- Detention Renewal:

Tuesday 30 January

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II, 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, 1530 of 2019, 1781 of 2019, 570 of 2020, 580 of 2020, 812 of 2020, 855 of 2020, 865 of 2020, 1017 of 2020, 2119 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, 1 042 of 2022 (copied from 420 of 2017) ), 1096 of 2022, 1394 of 2022, 1540 of 2022, 1660 of 2022, 203 of 2023, 352 of 2023, 540 of 2023, 744 of 2023, 1976 of 2023, 1977 of 2 023, 2123 of 2023, 2153 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

 

Wednesday, 31 January

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II, 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 2021, 482 of 2021, 1222 of 2021, 1391 of 2022, 1752 of 2022, 2135 of 2022, 2216 of 2022, 185 of 2023, 191 of 2023 192 of 2023, 294 of 2023, 333 of 2023, 440 of 2023, 508 of 2023, 1160 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

 

4- Release from police custody:

Friday 2 February

1. The security forces at 10th of Ramadan-II Police Station in Sharqia released 3 citizens (Reda Al-Sayyed Ahmed Hegazi, Al-Said Al-Azhari, Amr Abdel Moeti Okasha) after 10 days detention.

Saturday 3 February

1. The security forces at 10th of Ramadan-I Police Station in Sharqia released Engineer Osama Ahmed Abdel Wahab after disrupting the procedures for his release by the Criminal Court for 10 days.
2. The security forces at Zagazig Police Station in Sharqia released Dr. Osama Muhammad Eissa Eliwa after completing the procedures for the validity of his release from Zagazig Criminal Court.

5- Trials:

Monday 29 January

1. Kafr El-Sheikh Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Wadi El-Natroun Prison postponed the trial of 6 defendant in the case known in the media as Kafr El-Sheikh Al-Qaeda case to the session in April 2024.

 

Tuesday 30 January

1. Hahia Misdemeanor Court of Appeal, Terrorism Chamber, in Sharqia postponed the trail of 2 defendants (Hamad Ali Ibrahim Ezz, and Yasser Abdel Rahman Muhammad Okasha) on charges of spreading fake news, to the sentencing session on 13 February 2024.

 

Saturday 3 February

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 17 defendants, in the case known in the media as The Media Cell of the Muslim Brotherhood to session on 13 March 2024.

 

Sunday 4 February

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 6 defendants, in the case known in the media as Hadaeq terrorist cell.

6- Actions of the Public Prosecution:

Monday, 29 January

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution, referred Cases Nos. 1869 of 2021, 2741 of 2021, 848 of 2021, 500 of 2023, 305 of 2023, 1660 of 2022, 2529 of 2023, 1766 of 2022, 510 of 2023, to Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chambers, held in Badr Prison.

Monday, 29 January

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution, referred Cases Nos. 828 of 2017, to Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chambers, held in Badr Prison.

7- Statements:

Tuesday 30 January

1. The Egyptian Ministry of Interior denied a statement by the Muslim Brotherhood, alleging an exchange of fire between a number of police officers and a group of gold merchants on Cairo – Alexandria agricultural road and the death of a police officer.

Legal Comment

Supreme State Security Prosecution continues investigating dozens.

As Supreme State Security Prosecution investigated – during the newsletter’s coverage period – 28 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.

The National Security Sector in Sharqia continues to abuse citizens who had obtained release decisions from criminal courts by obstructing the implementation of those decisions and rotating them to new cases with investigation reports bearing the same previous accusations.

 

Supreme State Security Prosecution – in a rare incident – refers a number of cases to the court of appeals, to decide on one or more terrorism chambers held inside Badr Prison to consider the cases it investigated.

The prosecution referred 10 cases – during the newsletter’s coverage period – to Cairo Criminal Court to look into the charges against the detained and released defendants in these cases.

This is just a continuation to the exceptional trials that lack all standards and guarantees of a fair and just trial will continue.