Summary:
State Security investigations continue into 31 citizens on charges of terrorism and spreading false news.
The Attorney General issues a decision to activate articles of the Penal Code and Criminal Procedures by replacing simple imprisonment sentences with employment orders for convicts.
Cairo Criminal Court Terrorism Chamber continues non-stop to renew the pretrial detention of hundreds of citizens in State Security cases, without issuing a single release decision. .
Details
Arrest and Detention (enforced disappearance)
Friday, 20 September
Security forces at Belbeis Police Station in Sharqia arrested Mustafa Ibrahim Mohamed Suleiman, and then referred him to the Military Prosecution in Ismailia for re-actions depending on a ruling in absentia against him.
Saturday, 21 September
Security forces at the Belbeis Police Station in Sharqia arrested Mahmoud Abdel Nabi Azouz from his home and took him to an unknown destination, without presenting him to any prosecution body.
Prosecution Investigations
Supreme State Security Prosecution:
Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated (during the newsletter’s coverage period) 31 citizens, and put them in pretrial detention for joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.
Public Prosecution:
Wednesday, 18 September
10th of Ramadan Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated 3 citizens after appearing following periods of 8 – 38 days enforced disappearance and then accused them of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements. They are Diaa Shaaban Youssef, Nadi Abdullah Abdel Hadi, and Salah Kamel Al-Hamli.
Thursday, 19 September
Zagazig Center Prosecution Office in Sharqia investigated Omar Zain after arresting him from him home same day, and accused him of joining a terrorist group and spreading false new.
Detention Renewal:
Tuesday, 17 September
Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo renewed the detention of cartoonist Ashraf Omar for 15 days pending investigations into Case No. 1568 of 2024 Supreme State Security.
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, 1335 of 2019, 1823 of 2019, 460 of 2020, 517 of 2020, 535 of 2020, 571 of 2020, 970 of 2020, 1054 of 2020, 33 of 2021, 657 of 2021, 912 of 2021, 936 of 2021, 1000 of 2021, 1413 of 2021, 1624 of 2021, 1984 of 2021, 2207 of 2021, 2313 of 2021, 40 of 2022, 1020 of 2022, 1391 of 2022, 1752 of 2022, 1977 of 2022, 2514 of 2022, 95 of 2023, 184 of 2023, 191 of 2023, 333 of 2023, 453 L Of 2023, 508 of 2023, 598 of 2023, 716 of 2023, 1232 of 2023, 1582 of 2023, 1976 of 2023, 2152 of 2023, 2183 of 2023, 2464 of 2023, 27 72 of 2023, 2902 of 2023, 3277 of 2023, 288 of 2024, 664 of 2024, 665 of 2024, 1282 of 2024, 1644 of 2024, 1938 of 2024 , Supreme State Security.
Wednesday, 18 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 864 of 2020, 484 of 2021, 878 of 2021, 900 of 2021, 909 of 2021, 2032 of 2021, 2213 of 2021, 2285 of 2021, 2544 of 2021, 968 of 2020, 93 of 2022, 96 of 2022, 1564 of 2022, 1958 of 2022, 2365 of 2022, 86 of 2023, 203 of 2023, 330 of 2023, 352 of 2023, 392 of 2023, 422 of 2023, 641 of 2023, 1635 of 2023, 2064 of 2023, 2123 for 2023, 2153 of 2023, 3226 of 2023, 3459 of 2023, 166 of 2024, 282 of 2024, – 977 of 2024, 1410 of 2024, 1568 of 2024., Supreme State Security.
Sunday, 22 September
Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, in Badr Prison heard detention renewal sessions for dozens of citizens held in pre-trial detention pending cases. Cases No. are 867 of 2005, 471 of 2017, 1331 of 2018, 563 of 2019, 1780 of 2019, 58 of 2020, 502 of 2020, 534 of 2020, 558 of 2020, 730 of 2020, 786 of 2020, 1056 of 2020, 590 of 2021, 620 of 2021, 656 of 2021, 1690 of 2021, 2013 of 2021, 2714 of 2021, 2739 of 2021, – 5 of 2022, 305 of 2022, 1633 of 2022, 1654 of 2022, 1893 of 2022, 2069 of 2022, 2182 of 2022, – 524 of 2023, 717 of 2023, 744 of 2023, 1301 of 2023, 1973 of 2023, 2063 of 2023 including journalist Mohamed Saad Khattab, 2203 of 2023, 2527 of 2023, 2901 of 2023, 3387 of 2023, – 523 of 2024, 598 of 2024, 755 of 2024, 756 of 2024, 1128 of 2024, 1408 of 2024, 1570 of 2024, 1641 of 2024, 2285 of 2024 Supreme State Security.
Release:
Wednesday, 18 September
Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber in Sharqia released 10 citizens with the guarantee of their places of residence on charges of joining a terrorist group. They are Mohamed Gouda Ahmed Ghoneim, El-Sayed Mohamed Mohamad El-Kashef, Mahdi Mohamed Mahdi, Mohamed Awadein El-Sayed, Mustafa Abdel Aziz, Mohamed Ismail Abdel Rahman, Mohamed Ismail Abdel Rahman, Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abdel Salam Radi, Ahmed Mohamed Abdel Hadi, Ali Abdel Fattah Amer.
Saturday, 21 September
Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber in Sharqia released 14 citizens with the guarantee of their places of residence on charges of joining a terrorist group. They are Abdullah Nagi Abdel Qader, Saad Mohamed Saad, Khaled Mohamed Abdullah Musselhi, Ahmed Gomaa Al-Qarnawi, and Mustafa Taha Abdel Fattah Amer. In addition, there are Mahmoud Mohamed Hassan Mushrif, Mohamed Magdi Hussein, Ahmed Saeed Al-Sayed Ali Oyoun, Ahmed Mohamed Al-Sayed Hassan, Ahmed Mustafa Saber Al-Ghamri, Saeed Abdel Hamid Mohamed Saleh, Karam Allah Abdel Hadi Suleiman, Khaled Abdel Hamid Ismail, and Wagih Abdel Aziz Ahmed Ahmad.
Trials:
Monday, 16 September
Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 5 defendants in the case known in the media as Sohag ISIS case to the session on 2 November 2024.
Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 11 defendants, in the case known in the media as Haram ISIS case to the session on 1 December 2024.
Tuesday, 17 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 case of the Front (Gabha) Cell to the session in 13 November 2024.
Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 2 defendants, in the case known in the media as the Marg Cell case to the session in 3 November 2024.
Saturday, 21 September
Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trail of 2 defendants, in the case known in the media as — to the session on 16 October 2024.
Statements:
Monday, 16 September
The Public Prosecution published a statement on its official Facebook page regarding the directives by the Public Prosecutor to implement the texts of both the Penal Code and Criminal Procedures Law by replacing the simple imprisonment penalty with the alternatives of employing convicts and applying it to 54 convicts.
Thursday, 19 September
The Egyptian Ministry of Interior published a statement on its official Facebook page to deny regarding the claims on social media about cutting off the electricity at a ward in one of the reform and rehabilitation centers for several hours a day.
Legal Comment
The Attorney General has decided to replace the simple imprisonment penalty with public service work. Despite its simplicity and limitations, this decision is an important step, “if completed”, towards developing the penal system in Egypt in lines with the concepts of restorative justice.
The decision will also contribute to achieving a greater balance between protecting society and the rights of individuals, as well as supporting a more just and equitable judicial system. All of this on condition that we witness steps, such as reviewing and activating the provisions of the law related to pretrial detention and stopping the procedures that waste the rights of individuals or harm their future due to temporary or unnecessary procedures.
Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chambers, in Badr Prison, have not issued any release decisions, in spite of the availability of both legal and objective reasons that justify them. This contradicts with the principle of “the accused is innocent until proven guilty”, as well as raises further doubts about the justice of the judicial system and the officials concerned and those working in the field of law enforcement and justice.