Justice Observatory in Egypt from March 11 to March 17, 2024

Summary:

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution releases Mada Masr journalist Rana Mamdouh on financial guarantee.
2. The rotation of 6 citizens in Sharqia, to new cases by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, after the disrupting the procedures for their release.
3. Supreme State Security Prosecution releases 20 citizens from pretrial detention with the guarantee of their place of residence.
4. Cairo Criminal Court Terrorism Chamber continues non-stop to renew the pretrial detention of hundreds of citizens in State Security cases.
5. Hahia Misdemeanor Court of Appeal, Terrorism Chamber acquitted 8 citizens of charges of publishing false news and statements and promoting the goals of a terrorist group.

Details

1- 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:

Monday, 11 March

1. Zagazig Total Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated both Ammar Mohamed Fayyad and Ahmed Mamdouh Azzazi after arresting them from their homes, accusing them of joining a terrorist group, and then placing them in pretrial detention for 15 days.

2- Rotation Pending New Cases:

Wednesday, 13 March

1. The rotation of Fekri Muhammad Ali Al-Baily after disrupting the procedures for his release by Zagazig Criminal Court, and placed him in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

 

Thursday, 14 March

1. The rotation of 4 citizens. Their names are Ahmed Muhammad Abdel-Ghani, Wagdi Gouda Abdel-Ghani Al-Hawari, Ahmed Mahmoud Muhammad Ismail, and Muhammad Attia Abdel-Hamid. The rotation followed disrupting the procedures for their release by Zagazig Criminal Court, and placed them in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
2. Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo investigated Ahmed Mohamed Abdel Hakim Othman after disrupting the procedures of his release by Zagazig Criminal Court, and placed him in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

3- Detention Renewal:

Saturday, 16 March 

1. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber renewed the detention of 22 citizens for 45 days pending investigations, on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. They are Abdel Latif Salah Abdel Latif, Mustafa Mansour, Mahmoud Abdallah, Ahmed Samir, Mohamed Muhammed Abdel Wahab, Ahmed Rizq Mohamed Attia, Mohamed Abdel Magied Hassanein, Khaled Salah Ahmed Mohamed Haidah, Ibrahim Mohamed Ali Derbalah, Raafat Aziz Ali, Ashour Al-Saeed Ali Mustafa, Reda Amin Mohamed, Ahmed Shawqi Mohamed Abdel Hamid, Mr. Ali Youssef Bayoumi, Sameh Mohamed Abdel Raouf Abdel Hamid, Mohamed Muhammad Mahmoud Hassan Akl, Mahmoud Ahmed Mahmoud Attia Sharif, Ahmed Moheb El Din Atta Abdel Fattah, Ammar Yasser Mohamed Ahmed Hassan, Abdallah Abdel Rashid Abdallah Bakr, Moamen Mohamed Abdel Maaboud Ibrahim , Muhammad Ali Al-Demerdash Muhammad

 

4- Release from court:

Wednesday, 13 March 

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution acquitted 20 citizens, with the guarantee of their places of residence. They are Nasr Mahsoub Ahmed Abd Rabbo, Adham Muhammad Lashin Hassanein, in Case No. 1691 of 2022, Attia Muhammad Abd al-Nabi Ibrahim, Nouran Mahmoud Gamal Al-Din, Mahmoud Muhammad Ibrahim Muhammad, Yasser Abdel Karim Ibrahim al-Said, Muhammad Abdel Al Abu Al-Dahab Ali, Yasser Muhammad Ali Ashri, and Yasser Mansour Mansour Obaid in Case No. 2094 of 2022. Also there are Osama Salah Muhammad Mohammad, Mohab Muhammad Radwan Muhammad in Case No. 2070 of 2022, Romani Naeem Shaheed Youssef, and Hani Gamil Kamel Abdel Maseeh in Case No. 2284 of 2023. The list included as well Salah Ahmed Abdel Qader Nafea, Muhammad Al-Said Eissa Al-Haddad, Ibrahim Al-Said Ahmed Ismail in Case No. 716 of 2023, Gouda Salman Muslim Salem, Hossam Salem Muslim Salem in Case No. 960 of 2020, Nermeen Al-Said Al-Arabi Ibrahim Nawar Al-Qatouni in Case No. 1635 of 2022, Tariq Ahmed Abdel Hafez. Ahmed in Case No. 585 of 2023, Supreme State Security.
2. Zagazig Criminal Court in Sharqia acquitted Tasnim Saeed Ismail Al-Rammah with the guarantee of her residence after accusing her of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements.
3. Supreme State Security Prosecution acquitted Rana Mamdouh, a journalist at Mada Masr, with an L.E. 5,000 bail, in Case No. 976 of 2024 after accusing her of incitement to commit a terrorist act or crime.

5- Release from police custody:

Thursday, 14 March 

1. The security forces at Hahia Police Station in Sharqia released Ahmed Mahmoud Abdel Azim and Ibrahim Mahmoud Ibrahim after completing the procedures for the validity of their release by Zagazig Criminal Court and the arrival of the National Security signal.
2. The security forces at 10th of Ramadan Police Station in Sharqia released Salah Reda Salah after completing the procedures for the validity of his release by Zagazig Criminal Court and the arrival of the National Security signal.

 

Saturday, 16 March 

1. The security forces at 10th of Ramadan Police Station-II in Sharqia released 4 citizens after completing the procedures for the validity of their release by Zagazig Criminal Court and the arrival of the National Security signal. They are Hossam El-Din Ali Saleh, Ibrahim Abdoun, and Mohamed Hamad. Ahmed Hamid Mustafa.

6- Trials:

Monday, 11 March 

• Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber –III, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 64 defendants in the case known in the media as New Cairo Cell case to the session on 29 April 2024.

Tuesday, 12 March 

1. 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 ISIS cell case to the session on 26 March 2024.
2. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 2 defendants, in the case known in the media as Qena ISIS cell case to the session on 16 April 2024.

 

Wednesday, 13 March 

• Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 6 defendants, in the case known in the media as Kerdassa ISIS cell case to the session on 27 April 2024.

 

Saturday, 16 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as October ISIS Cell case to the session on 20 May 2024.

7- Judicial Rulings:

Wednesday, 13 March  

1. Hahia Misdemeanor Court of Appeal, Terrorism Circuit, ruled to acquit Muhammad Ahmed Amer, Atef Amrullah Ali Saleh, Alaa Abdel-Azim Al-Sayed, Al-Shabrawi Muhammad Al-Shabrawi, Abdel-Nabi Muhammad Ahmed, Mustafa Al-Said Ahmed Muhammad, Siddiq Muhammad Ahmed Metwally Al-Dahshan, and Jamal Muhammad Mohammad of spreading false news and joining a terrorist group.

 

Saturday, 16 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison ruled with the innocence of 1 defendant, in the retrial in the case known in the media as Talbia Violence Incident case.
2. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison ruled with 1-year imprisonment of 1 defendant, in the retrial in the case known in the media as Down Town Violence Incident case.

 

Sunday. 17 March

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison ruled with life imprisonment of 8 defendants, and aggravated 10-year imprisonment for 3 defendants, as well enlisting them in the terrorist list and obligating them to a rehabilitation courses, in the case known in the media as AL-Shorouk Terrorist Cell case.

 

Legal Comment

The decision by the Supreme State Security Prosecution to acquit Rana Mamdouh, a journalist for Mada Masr website, with a financial guarantee and to release her after paying the financial guarantee came as a bad step in the prosecution punishment against journalists, especially independent websites such as Mada Masr.

The driver accompanying Rana, who was in custody with her, is still forcibly disappeared, in clear violation of the provisions of the Constitution and international conventions and treaties.

 

Although the Supreme State Security Prosecution released 20 citizens who were in pretrial detention pending investigations, the investigations with the citizens continued, as it investigated 32 citizens and accused them of terrorism crimes, as if the prosecution was sending a message that it was vacating places in light of the overcrowding of thousands of imprisoned citizens.