Observatory of Justice in Egypt 15 – 21 December 2024

Summary:

Final ruling by the Court of Cassation to uphold the one-year imprisonment of former MP Ahmed Tantawi, his ban from running in the elections for 5 years, and the imprisonment of his presidential campaign manager Mohamed Abu El-Diyar for one year in the presidential power of attorney documents case.

State Security investigations releases 54 citizens pending 8 cases and recycles them pending 3 new cases.

Rotation of 23 citizens from Sharqia, to new cases by the Supreme State Security Prosecution.

Renewal of the detention of hundreds of citizens pending Supreme State Security cases.

Investigation of 25 citizens and their accusation of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements.

The Supreme State Security Prosecution refers 9 cases to trial.

Details

Prosecution Investigations

Supreme State Security Prosecution:

Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated (during the newsletter’s coverage period) 25 citizens and put them in pretrial detention for joining a terrorist group and financing and supplying a terrorist group.

Public Prosecution:

Wednesday, 18 December

Ibrahimia Prosecution in Sharqia detains Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El-Helawi, after he appeared from enforced disappearance of 20 days, in pretrial detention after his arrest and then accused him of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements.

Menia Al Qamh Prosecution in Sharqia detains 3 in pretrial detention after his arrest and then accused him of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements. They are Ibrahim Mohamed Mahmoud Ali, Wael Mohamed Salem, and Abdel Khaleq El Sayyad Abdel Khaleq.

Thursday, 19 December

Hahia Partial Prosecution in Sharqia detains Mohamed Mohamad Anas and El Husseini Mohamed Mamdouh Hassan after a forced disappearance of 150 days and then accused them of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements.

Zagazig-II Police Station Prosecution in Sharqia detains Ahmed Atef and Mohamed Basyoun who appeared after enforced disappearance for 70 days, and then accused them of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements.

Rotation Pending New Cases:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 17, 18, 19 December

Zagazig Total Prosecution in Sharqia investigated 23 citizens, after delaying the implementation of their release procedures.

Detention Renewal:

Sunday, 15 December

Supreme State Security Prosecution in Cairo renewed the detention of Engineer Yahya Hussein Abdel Hadi for 15 days pending investigations into Case No. 3916 of 2024, Supreme State Security on charges of joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and statements.

Tuesday, 17 December

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 725 of 2014, 316 of 2017, 277 of 2019, 488 of 2019, and among the accused is journalist Mustafa Al-Khatib, 1118 of 2019, 1318 of 2019, 1400 of 2019, 1779 of 2019, 467 of 2020, 786 of 2020, 1055 of 2020, 1110 of 2020, 482 of 2021, 628 of 2021, 1987 of 2021, 2056 of 2021, 1097 of 2022, 1643 of 2022, 2216 of 2022, 2572 of 2022, 85 Of 2023, 185 of 2023, 186 of 2023, 192 of 2023, 422 of 2023, 424 of 2023, 626 of 2023, 633 of 2023, 718 of 2023, 2390 of 2023, 2903 of 2023, 3391 of 2023, 281 of 2024, 409 of 2024, 715 of 2024, 2627 of 2024, 2558 of 2024, 2808 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

Wednesday, 18 December

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 1480 of 2019, 1898 of 2019, 2007 of 2019, 569 of 2020, 577 of 2020, 615 of 2020, 662 of 2020, 984 of 2020, 1052 of 2020, 595 Of 2021, 626 of 2021, 965 of 2021, 2397 of 2021, 41 of 2022, 1516 of 2022, 94 of 2023, 325 of 2023, 540 of 2023, 1977 of 2023, 2113 of 2023, 2468 of 2023, 2991 Of 2023, 3510 of 2023, 784 of 2024, 2490 of 2024, 2806 of 2024, 2809 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

Acquittal:

Thursday, 19 December

Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to acquit 54 citizens pending 8 cases and transferred them to new cases.

Trials:

Sunday, 15 December

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 9 defendant, in Case No. 8629 of 2011, Sayeda Zeinab Administrative, known in the media as the Cabinet events case, to the session of 3 February 2025.

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 1 defendant, in Case No. 10832 of 2023, Omrania Felonies, on charges of joining a terrorist group, to the session of 2 February 2025.

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison postponed the retrial of 1 defendant, in Case No. 15552 of 2023, Badrashin Felonies, on charges of joining a terrorist group, to the session of 2 February 2025.

Saturday, 21 December

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-III, held in Badr Prison postponed the trial of 117 defendants in the case known in the media as the case of the media committees of the Muslim Brotherhood, to the session of 10 February 2025.

Judicial Rulings:

Monday, 16 December

Court of Cassation, held at the High Court, ruled to reject the appeal by former MP Ahmed Tantawi, his lawyer and campaign manager in the presidential elections, Mohamed Abu El-Diyar, and to uphold the ruling to imprison them for one year and prevent Tantawi from running in the parliamentary elections for five years in the case known in the media as the presidential power of attorney documents case.

Cairo Criminal Court of Appeals, Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison ruled to sentence 1 defendant to 3 years in prison in Case No. 4584 of 2015 Nasr City Felonies, known in the media as the Air Defense Stadium incidents case.

Actions of Public Prosecution

During the Whole Week

State Security Prosecution and investigating judges, referred Nos. 2055 of 2021, 305 of 2022, 1006 of 2020, 482 of 2021, 970 of 2020, 383 of 2021, 984 of 2021, 1055 of 2020, 1021 of 2020.

Legal Comment

The Court of Cassation closed the case of presidential power of attorney documents in which former MP Ahmed El-Tantawi is a defendant. The court rejected the appeal by Tantawi and his former campaign manager, Mohamed Abu El-Diyar, and upheld the ruling to imprison them for one year with hard labor, and to deprive Tantawi from running in elections for five years. This ruling clarifies the true commitment of the state to fair trial guarantees.

The trial procedures were marred by numerous violations, most notably recently the failure to inform the defense team of the date of the cassation session,

which completely squandered the right to defense, and opened the door to questions about the use of the law as a tool to suppress political opposition.

In a move that constitutes evasion and circumvention of the provisions of the law, and with the approach of Egypt’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations, the State Security Prosecution decided to release 54 citizens pending 8 cases, after they exceeded the maximum period of pretrial detention.

Then, in interesting irony, the same prosecution recycled these same citizens and remanded them in custody again on new cases, which constitutes manipulation of justice and the law, and confirms the need to ensure that the judiciary is not used as a tool for political revenge.

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