Justice Observatory in Egypt from January 15 to January 21, 2024

Summary:

1. State Security investigations continue into 30 citizens on charges of terrorism and spreading false news.
2. Rotating 8 citizens, to new cases by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, after the disruption of procedures for their release, for exceeding the maximum limit of pretrial detention and re-imprisoning them again.
3. The sentencing of Engineer Yahya Hussein Abdel Hadi with 1-year imprisonment with suspension for 3 years for spreading false news.
4. Cairo Criminal Court Terrorism Chamber continues non-stop to renew the pretrial detention of dozens of citizens in State Security cases.
5. Amending the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code and implementing the amendment from the date of publication.
6. The Public Prosecution organizes training on issues of violence against women in cooperation with the National Council for Women.

Details

1- Prosecution Investigations

• Supreme State Security Prosecution:

1. Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated (during the newsletter’s coverage period) 30 citizens, and put them in pretrial detention for joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

 

• Public Prosecution:

Monday 15 January

1. Abu Kebir Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated Essam Hafez Qandeel after arresting him from his home, accused him of joining a terrorist group and spreading false new, and then placed him in pretrial detention for 15 days.

 

Saturday, January 20

1. Zagazig Total Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated the 13 citizens. They are Hamad Talaat Mahmoud Ismail, Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Hamid Antar, Ahmed Hamid Said, Mohamed Atef, Anas Mohamed Abdel Atti, Mohamed Abdel Hamid Abdel Moneim Salama, Youssef Mohamed Al-Said Al-Taib, Ammar Al-Hadi Mahmoud Al-Hosseini, Mamdouh Gamal Abdallah, Osama Abu Hatab Al-Said, Said Sami Al-Said, Mahmoud Ahmed Hassan, and Salah El-Din Eid Muhammad Dahroug. The investigation followed their arrest from their homes and accusing them of joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and statements, then placing them in pretrial detention for 15 days.

 

2- Rotation Pending New Cases:

Thursday 18 January

1. Zagazig Total Prosecution in Sharqia investigated 8 citizens. They are Hamad Talaat Mahmoud Ismail, Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Hamid Antar, Ahmed Hamid Said, Mohamed Atef, Anas Mohamed Abdel Atti, Mohamed Abdel Hamid Abdel Moneim Salama, Youssef Mohamed Al-Said Al-Taib, and Ammar Al-Hadi Mahmoud Al-Hosseini.  The investigation followed disrupting the procedures for their release, and placed them in pretrial detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.

3- Detention Renewal:

Monday 15 January

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 977 of 2017, 706 of 2019, 535 of 2020, 970 of 2020, 1054 of 2020, 1000 of 2021, 1222 of 2021, 1391 of 2022, 1958 of 2022, 294 of 2023 508 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

 

Tuesday 16 January

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 828 of 2017, 1430 of 2018, 311 of 2019, 750 of 2019, 467 of 2020, 585 of 2020, 1055 of 2020, 628 of 2021, 1987 of 2021, 2741 of 2021, 96 of 2022, 440 of 2022, 1007 of 2022, 1540 of 2022, 1645 of 2022, 2070 of 2022, 2135 of 2022, 185 of 2023, 422 of 2023, 424 of 2023, 716 of 2023, 718 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

 

Wednesday 17 January

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 316 of 2017, 1365 of 2018, including journalists Bahaa El-Din Ibrahim and Rabah Al-Sheikh, 1480 of 2019, 230 of 2021, including  journalist Tawfiq Ghanem and lawyer Said Khalaf, 482 of 2021, 1983 of 2021, 2056 of 2020, 85 of 2022, 200 of 2022, 1020 of 2022, 1752 of 2022, 2216 of 2022, 2723 of 2022, 191 of 2023, 192 of 2023, 203 of 2023, 333 of 2023, 352 of 202 3, 440 of 2023, 508 of 2023, 540 Of 2023, 626 of 2023, 1001 of 2023, 1160 of 2023, 1816 of 2023, 2064 of 2023, Supreme State Security.
2. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber renewed the detention of Eid Ahmed Mohamed Salim for 45 days pending investigations, in Case No. 176 of 2022, 10th of Ramadan-II.

 

Sunday 21 January

1. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber renewed the detention of Abdu Ali Abdo for 45 days pending investigations, in Case No. 2111 of 2021, Zagazig.

 

4- Release:

Wednesday 17 January

1. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber in Sharqia decided to release 4 citizens (Eid Ahmed Muhammad Salim, Ammar Yasser, Muhammad Yasser, and Yasser Ibrahim), with the guarantee of their residence, for exceeding the maximum limit of pretrial detention

 

Saturday, January 20

1. Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber in Sharqia decided to release 28 citizens. They are Al-Said Abdel Magied Mohamed Ali, Ahmed El Sayed Ahmed Shehata, Abdel Hafeez Ahmed Ali El Sawi, Gamal Ahmed Mohamed El Sayed Hassan, Tariq Abdel Qawi Ibrahim, Mohamed El Saeed Mahmoud Zaki, Abdel Hadi Mohamed Nasrallah Zammel, Ahmed Mohamed Abdel Hakim, Reda El Sayed Hegazi, Mohamed Muhammad Fahmy El Shazli, Medhat Al-Said Saeed Al-Sudani, Atef Al-Shawadfi Muhammad Mohammad, Wagdi Gouda Abdul-Ghani Al-Hawari, Abdul-Hamid Mekheimar Abdul-Hamid, Muhammad Saeed Abdul-Aziz, Zaki Sanad Negm, Amgad Saber, Ahmed Muhammad Abdul-Ghani, Saad Taha Othman, Muhammad Shaaban Abdul-Wahab, Muhammad Wahab, Ahmed Mahmoud Muhammad Ismail, Maysara Muhammad, Al-Said Muhammad Abd al-Ghani Al-Batea, Salah Abd al-Rahman Aqab, al-Sadeq Muhammad Fekri, Ismail al-Mallah, and Mahmoud Al-Said Ismail. The release is with the guarantee of their residence, for exceeding the maximum limit of pretrial detention.

 

5- Trials:

Saturday, January 20

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber –I, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 1 defendant in the case known in the media as Menia Terrorist Cell case to the session on 3 March 2024.
2. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 111 defendant, in the case known in the media as Hasm Terrorist Cell case to the session on 9 March 2024.

 

Sunday 21 January

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 57 defendant, in the case known to media as Helwan Specific Committees Cell, to the session on 24 February 2024.

6- Judicial Rulings:

Thursday 18 January

1. Nasr City Misdemeanor Court – II, ruled to punish engineer Yahya Hussein Abdel Hadi with 1-year imprisonment with suspension for 3 years for spreading false news.

 

Sunday 21 January

1. Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison ruled to punish one accused with five years of aggravated imprisonment in the case known in the media as the Kafr Hakim church burning case.

7- Legislations and decisions:

Tuesday 16 January

1. The Official Gazette published Law No. 1 of 2024 amending some provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code by creating a new level of litigation, which is the level of appeal against felony rulings, and forming a new court called the Criminal Court of Appeal.

8- Statements:

Monday 15 January

1. The Public Prosecution published, through its official Facebook page, a statement about holding training workshops for its members on “cases of violence against women,” in implementation of the cooperation protocol between the Institute of Criminal Research and Training at the Public Prosecution and the National Council for Women.
2. Egyptian Ministry of Interior published, through its official Facebook page, a statement regarding a video clip circulated on a number of social media pages affiliated with the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood regarding the torture of a “Korean” tourist in an attempted harassment by a person in “old” archaeological graves, claiming its previous use in 2022.

Legal Comment

Supreme State Security Prosecution continues investigating dozens.

As Supreme State Security Prosecution investigated – during the newsletter’s coverage period – 30 citizens, and put them in pretrial detention for joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

 

Terrorism Chambers, in Prisons, continued to renew the pretrial detention of dozens of citizens pending investigation by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, and on vague charges. Such trials in which all standards and guarantees of a fair and just trial were lacking.

 

After a series of postponements to pronounce the ruling, Nasr City Misdemeanor Court – II, ruled to punish engineer Yahya Hussein Abdel Hadi with 1-year imprisonment with suspension for 3 years for spreading false news. This happened after he had published three articles on his personal Facebook account, with the titles “When will they speak,” “Shame and dialogue,” and “Everyone must be released, including the Brotherhood.” The ruling is a clear message from the authority by sending any dissenting opinion to the prison walls.

The Official Gazette published Law No. 1 of 2024. The law amends some provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure regarding appealing judgments by the Criminal Court. The amends also established criminal courts called the Criminal Court of Appeal, in implementation of the constitutional text in Article 240 of the 2014 Constitution.

Such text gives the accused the right to appeal within 40 days from the date of the ruling, and 60 days for the Public Prosecutor to take the same rulings for appeals in misdemeanor cases.