Justice Observatory in Egypt … from August 14 – August 20, 2023

Summary:

1. A Republican decision pardoning the remainder of the sentence for activist Ahmed Doma in the case known in the media as the Cabinet Incidents Case.
2. The State Security Prosecution released 30 precautionary detainees on guarantee of their place of residence.
3. Investigating 45 citizens and accusing them of terrorism and spreading false news.
4. Journalist Karim Asaad was arrested and taken to an unknown destination.
5. Life sentence and imprisonment for those accused of smuggling money abroad.
6. Renewing the detention of dozens of citizens pending cases of the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
7. The Ministry of Interior denies the news circulating about the spread of epidemics inside Wadi Al-Natrun Prison Center

 

Details

 

1. Arrest and Detention

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

The security forces at the Hiya police station in Sharkia arrested (1. Muhammad Muhanna Muhammad Al-Sayed, 2. Mansour Muhammad Attia, 3. Abdulaziz Abdul-Shafi) and took them to an unknown destination and did not present them to any of the investigation authorities so far.

Saturday 19 August

The security forces arrested journalist Karim Asaad, a member of the editorial team of the “Matassadakash/ Don’t Believe” platform, from his home in Al-Shorouk city, after storming his house and assaulting him and his wife by beating and insulting them, threatening them with their son, accessing the platform’s accounts and deleting two posts related to the identity of the Egyptians on the plane that was seized in Zambia is coming from Egypt. He was released on the evening of Sunday, August 19, with the intervention of the President of the Journalists Syndicate, Khaled Al-Balshi.

 

2. Prosecution investigations:

Investigations of the Supreme State Security Prosecution:

The Supreme State Security Prosecution, during the coverage period of the bulletin from August 14 to August 20, 2023, investigated 37 citizens and held them in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

 

Public Prosecution Investigations:

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

The Tenth of Ramadan Prosecution interrogated three citizens, who are (1. Hassan Shalabi, 2. Nasr Jawhar, 3. Yasser Hafez) – after they were arrested from their homes at dawn and remanded in custody on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

Thursday 17 August

The Zagazig Center Prosecution investigated 5 citizens, who are (1. Nasser Al-Sayed Nasr, 2. Ahmed Ismail, 3. Muhammad Fawzi, 4. Muhammad Baghdadi, 5. Abdul-Azim Muhammad) – after their appearance from enforced disappearance that lasted for 8 days – They were remanded in custody on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

Sunday 20 August

The Partial Prosecution of Al Sayyeda Zainab investigated the publisher, Hisham Ismail, in communication No. 5007 of 2023 submitted by Kamal Abu Eita, accusing him of intentionally disturbing others through social media, and ordered the Public Prosecution to release him with a financial guarantee of 5 thousand pounds.

 

3. Detention renewal:

Saturday, August 19, 2023

1. The First Chamber of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court in Badr Prison considered the detention renewal session for dozens of citizens detained in pretrial detention pending cases No. 900 of 2017, 1235 of 2019, 1270 of 2019, 1480 of 2019, 1898 of 2019, 2007 of 2019, 569 of the year 2020, 577 of 2020, 615 of 2020, 880 of 2020, 984 of 2020, 1052 of 2020, 595 of 2021, 910 of 2021, 911 of 2021, 965 of 2021, 2013 of 2021, 214 7 of 2021, 41 of 2022, 94 of 2022, 441 of 2022, 1007 of 2022, 1516 of 2022, 1576 of 2022, 1645 of 2022, 2185 of 2022, 1 of 2023, 60 of 2023, 184 of 2023, 294 of 2023, 324 of 2023, 352 of the year 2023, 422 of 2023, 508 of 2023 Supreme State Security.
2. The Terrorism Chamber in the Zagazig Criminal Court renewed the detention of the citizen/ Osama Hisham Gueneidi Muhammad for a period of 45 days in Case No. 10805 of 2021, a misdemeanor.
3. The 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.
4. The same circuit renewed the detention of the citizen / Salman Al-Shahat Muhammad for a period of 45 days in Case No. 265 of 2021, a misdemeanor.
5. The 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.
6. The same circuit renewed the detention of the citizen / Ibrahim Mahmoud Ibrahim for a period of 45 days in Case No. 319 of 2021, a misdemeanor.

Sunday 20 August

The First Chamber of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court in Badr Prison considered a session to renew the detention of dozens of citizens detained in pretrial detention pending cases No. 662 of 2020, 626 of 2021, 1935 of 2021, 1983 of 2021, 2380 of 2021, 41 of 2022, 325 of 2023 392 of 2023, 524 of 2023, 540 of 2023 Supreme State Security.

 

4. Release

Saturday, August 19, 2023

The Supreme State Security Prosecution released 30 citizens, who are: 1. Diaa al-Rahman Munir Zaki Abdel-Muttalib, in Case No. 440 of 2022, 2. Abdel-Gawad Qinawy, Abdel-Gawad Qinawy, in Case No. 1635 of 2022, 3. Ayman Muhammad Muhammad Abu Hamed – 4. Ali Mamdouh Salim Hussein- 5. Muhammad Hamdy Muhammad Imam- 6. Muhammad Ibrahim Muhammad Mansour- 7. Muhammad Abdul Aziz Mahmoud Abdel-Al- 8. Muhammad Ali Abdul-Azim Redini- 9. Mahmoud Muhammad Metwally Ali- 10. Mahmoud Muhammad Muhammad al-Husayni Muhammad- 11. Nagi Islam Mustafa Nagi Rifai- 12. Hani Muhammad al-Sayyid Hussein in Case No. 1691 of 2022, 13. Saeed Ahmad al-Sayyid al-Sayyid Saad- 14. al-Sayyid Muhammad Hassan Abdel Fattah- 15. Abdul Rahman Muhammad Sa`d Gibril- 16 Abd Allah Kamal Rizk Fayed- 17. Muhammad Saad Ahmed Abu Zaid- 18. Mahmoud Youssef Al-Sayed Abdul Rahman- 19. Marwan Youssef Al-Sayed Abdul Rahman- 20. Mustafa Ramadan Abdou Abdul Mohsen- 21. Mustafa Muhammad Mahmoud Muhammad Shalabi- 22. Haitham Selim Abd al-Raouf Salim, in Case No. 1893 of 2022, 23. Fathy Dahi Noureddine Abu al-Dahab – 24. Maher Hamdi Abd al-Rahim Muhammad, in Case No. 2094 of 2022, 25. Hamad Ahmed Ali Abu Zaid in Case No. 2216 of 2022, 26. Taha Mahmoud Taha Muhammad, in Case No. 2515 of 2022, 27. Faris and Fadi Abdel-Tawab Abdel-Baqi, in Case No. 2723 of 2022, 28. Tariq Muhammad Musaad Yasin Shabar- 29. Essam Ali Ahmed Khalil Salem Sayed in Case No. 184 of 2023, 30. Karim Shaaban Hassan Mahfouz in Case No. 191 of 2023)

 

5. Trials:

Monday, August 14, 2023

1. The Second Circuit of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court held in the Reform and Rehabilitation Center of Badr City postponed the retrial of one defendant in the case known in the media as the Ramses Incidents (Al-Fateh Mosque) case, to the session of September 14, 2023.
2. The same circuit postponed the retrial of one defendant in the case known in the media as the Ain Shams Incidents case, to the session of September 10, 2023.
3. The Terrorism Department in the Zagazig Misdemeanor Court of Appeal postponed the trial of 7 defendants, after they were accused of publishing false news and statements, to the session of September 4, 2023.

Tuesday 15 August

The Second Circuit of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court in Badr Prison postponed the trial of 7 defendants in the case known in the media as the Imbaba terrorist cell case to the session of September 13, 2023.

Saturday 19 August

The First Chamber of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court in Badr Prison postponed the trial of 43 defendants in the case known in the media as the Agouza Terrorist Cell Case to the October 4, 2023 session.

 

6. Rulings:

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

1. The Supreme Constitutional Court ruled inadmissibility of Case No. 90 of 43 of constitutional judicial year claiming the unconstitutionality of Law No. 81 of 2016 regarding the civil service and the text of Article 194 of its executive regulations with regard to calculating the periods of scientific and practical experience for the appointed person before the law was issued.
2. The Supreme Constitutional Court ruled inadmissible Case No. 147 of Judicial Year 37 claiming the unconstitutionality of Article 104 of Law 119 of 2008 regarding the Building Law.

Saturday 19 August

The First Chamber of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court ruled that 14 defendants be sentenced to life imprisonment and 3 others to 15 years in rigorous imprisonment in the case known in the media as the case of smuggling money abroad and joining a terrorist group.

 

7. Legislations and decisions:

Saturday, August 19, 2023

The President of the Republic issued Decree No. of 2023 pardoning the remaining sentence for a number of convicts, including the activist Ahmed Doma, after serving a sentence of nearly 10 years in the case known in the media as the Cabinet Incidents Case.

 

8. Statements and declarations:

Saturday, August 19, 2023

The Ministry of the Interior published on Facebook a statement denying what a number of pages and websites described as the spread of an epidemic in the Wadi al-Natrun Reform and Rehabilitation Center.

 

9. Prison news:

Friday, August 18, 2023

The citizen / Mahmoud Abdel-Rahim, who was sentenced to 3 years in prison, died in prison in Gamasa maximum security prison in Case No. 345/135 of 2014 Ismailia Total Military Crimes, known in the media as the Ismailia Courts Complex case.

 

Legal Comment

– The security forces arrested journalist Karim Asaad, a member of the editorial team of the “Matassadakash” platform, from his home in Al-Shorouk city, after raiding his house, assaulting him and his wife, beating and cursing him, threatening him with his son, accessing the platform’s accounts and deleting two posts related to the identity of the Egyptians on the plane that He was seized in Zambia, coming from Egypt, and was not presented to any of the authorities, in violation of the text of the constitution, which was keen to respect the dignity of citizens in accordance with the text of Article 51 thereof, as well as the text of Article 54 thereof, which stipulated respect for the personal freedom of citizens, and he was released on Sunday evening, August 19 .

-After spending nearly ten years in prison, the President of the Republic used the powers granted to him under Article 155 of the Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt and issued a decision pardoning the remainder of the sentence imposed against activist Ahmed Doma in the case known in the media as the Cabinet Incidents case, with 15 years of rigorous imprisonment, which is a step that indicates To lift an injustice that lasted for nearly ten years after he was sentenced in a case in which fair and equitable trial standards were absent, and gives a glimmer of hope towards the issuance of such decisions and the setting of clear criteria for their issuance and inclusion of those who meet those standards.

The First Chamber of Terrorism in the Cairo Criminal Court, held inside the Badr Prison Complex, issued a verdict of conviction against nearly 20 defendants, after the State Security Prosecution accused them of joining a terrorist group and smuggling money abroad which is a lack of impartiality and arbitrariness in the use of the law.

– Terrorism circles held throughout the week in Badr Prison continued to renew the detention of citizens brought before them pending cases of the Supreme State Security Prosecution, and the decisions came to continue the detention of all the accused for a period of 45 days pending investigations, to give a clear and explicit indication of the unwillingness to end the detention file, amid statements issued by a number of members of the National Dialogue Committee and some political leaders that there is a breakthrough in this file.