Observatory of Justice in Egypt 2 to 8 September, 2024

Summary:

State Security investigations continue into 20 citizens on charges of terrorism and spreading false news.

State Security Prosecution releases 150 citizens pending investigations in 37 cases with the guarantee of their place of residence.

A death sentence by execution in the re-trial of a defendant in the case known in the media as the assassination of Major General Nabil Farag.

Rotation of citizens in Sharqia, to new cases by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, after the disruption of procedures for their release.

Cairo Criminal Court Terrorism Chamber continues non-stop to renew the pretrial detention of hundreds of citizens in State Security cases.

Postponing the trials of dozens of citizens on terrorism charges.

Public Prosecution publishes a photo report on the visit by the Attorney General to the Badr Prisons complex.

Details

Prosecution Investigations

Supreme State Security Prosecution:

Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated (during the newsletter’s coverage period) 20 citizens, and put them in pretrial detention for joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

Rotation Pending New Cases:

Monday, 2 September

Rotation of Al-Said Sobhi Hassan, Hossam Al-Sayed Amin Gad Allah, Ahmed Salah Mohamed Abu Al-Ela, Khaled Maghawri, Ahmed Gamal Othman, Mohamed Al-Sayed Ali, and Abdullah Fawzi. This was after refusing to implement the decision to release them on 5 and 6 September.

Detention Renewal:

Tuesday, 3 September

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 205 of 2015, 2397 of 2021, 2467 of 2021, 2976 of 2021, 583 of 2022, 1644 of 2022, 1470 of 2023, 2124 of 2023, 2154 of 2023, 2468 of 2023, 3388 of 2023, 3620 of 2023, 717 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

Wednesday, 4 September

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 376 of 2012, 630 of 2017, 563 of 2020, 575 of 2020, 880 of 2020, 955 of 2020 including photojournalist Hamdi Al-Zaim, 1018 of 2020, 1058 of 2020, 1196 of 2020, 65 of 2021 including activist Nermeen Hussein, 984 of 2021, 2121 of 2021, 2174 of 2021, 2581 of 2021, 330 of 2022, 1576 of 2022, 1655 of 2022, 1940 of 2022, 88 of 2023, 585 of 2023, 860 of 2023, 1233 of 2023, 2154 of 2023, Supreme State Security.

Acquittal:

Sunday, 1 September

Mahalla Prosecution excludes labor leader Hisham Al-Banna from release, after releasing 7 of his colleagues in the Samanoud Weaving and Textile Company in case 7648 of 2024 Samanoud Administrative for inciting a strike and gathering to demand the application of the minimum wage on them.

Monday, 2 September

Zagazig Criminal Court in Sharqia decided to acquit 33 citizens through 2, 3, and 4 September.

Thursday, 5 September

The state security prosecution in Cairo decided to acquit 150 citizens in pending cases with the guarantee of their places of residence.

Trials:

Monday, 2 September

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 1 defendant in the case known in the media as joining a terrorist group in Omrania case in Al-Marg case to the session on 121 November 2024.

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as Marg terrorist cell case to the session on 3 November 2024.

Tuesday, 3 September

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 3 defendants, in the case known in the media as the 2nd Nasra front to the session on 8 October 2024.

Wednesday, 4 September

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 21 defendants, in the case known in the media as Specialized Working Group to the session on 17 November 2024.

Saturday, 7 September

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as the case of Suez Terrorist Cell to the session in 10 September 2024.

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-II, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as Kerdassa Center Storming Incidents to the session on 13 October 2024.

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 73 defendants, in the case known in the media as Specialized Committees Case to the session on 9 November 2024.

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 1 defendant, in the case known in the media as Suez Terrorist Cell to the session on 29 October 2024.

Judicial Rulings:

Tuesday, 25 June

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison ruled to sentence 1 defendant to death by hanging in the case known in the media as the assassination of Major General Nabil Farag.

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison ruled to sentence on1e defendant to 3 years of hard labor in the case known in the media as the Kafr Hakim Church Burning Incidents.

Statements:

Saturday, 7 September

The Public Prosecution issued a video report via Facebook about the visit of the Attorney General and a team of members of the Public Prosecution on September 3 to Badr Prison and hearing the statements of the inmates to determine the living conditions of the inmates.

Legal Comment

Terrorism Chambers continue to waste the standards and guarantees of a fair and just trial for hundreds of citizens, while considering their trial sessions. Of which the foremost important is the principle of open trial and enabling the accused to communicate directly with his defense attorney as well as appearing before his natural judge. This happens since all trial sessions are inside headquarters affiliated with the Ministry of Interior such as Badr Prison, Wadi El Natron Prison and Giza Central Prison, since the decision of the Minister of Justice to establish missions affiliated with the Court of Appeal in detention centers.

The Public Prosecutor decided to release 150 citizens who were on state security cases, in a positive step that limits the arbitrary use of pretrial detention that leads to the violation of individuals’ rights and destroys citizens’ confidence in the justice system.

Rotating arrested citizens from Sharqia continues. The acquittal decision were by courts or release orders from the Public Prosecution. What follows is re-imprisoning them again on fabricated reports. The security apparatus in the governorate has recycled 38 citizens who have received orders from Zagazig Criminal Court to release them for exceeding the maximum limit for pretrial detention. However, they remain behind prison walls for more than two years during which the Public Prosecution did not provide evidence of their joining a terrorist group or publishing a single piece of news. This lead to them entering again into a new cycle of pretrial detention on the same charges, sending a message that no voice is louder than the voices of members and personnel of the National Security Agency.

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