Supreme State Security Prosecution
On the hearing of December 18, the Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of Hussein Shehata, and Ahmed Fayez Abdel Majid for 15 days, pending investigations into case No. 2070 of 2022 (Supreme State Security).
Both Shehata and Abdel Majid were arrested against posts they shared on Facebook, as Shehata called to participate in November 11 demonstrations due to the price hike, while Abdel Majid shared his opinions about activist Alaa Abdel Fatah being forced to end his hunger strike inside prison. Shehata and Abdel Majid face charges of joining and financing a terrorist group, participating in a criminal agreement aiming to commit a terrorist act, using social media to commit a terrorist act, and inciting to commit a terrorist act.
December 19 hearings:
The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of Mohamed Mahmoud Abou Mandour for 15 days in connection with case No. 2216 of 2022 (State Security).
Security forces arrested Abou Mandour on November 10; he was illegally detained for 13 days, during which he was tortured by handcuffing his hands behind him and getting electric shocks. The prosecution interrogated him regarding several posts expressing his political opinions. Abou Mandour faces charges of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its aims, committing the crime of financing terrorism, inciting to commit a terrorist act, spreading false news and information that would disturb public peace and order, and using an account on social media to commit a terrorist crime.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to release Hamed Sedeek, under the guarantee of his place of residence pending case No. 1356 of 2019 (Supreme State Security), after more than three years in pretrial detention. Sedeek was listed in another case that carried No. 2207 of 2021, where his detention would be renewed.
Sedeek is 62 years old and faces charges of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media.
December 20 hearing:
The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of activist Sherif El-Rouby for 15 days in connection with his third case, No. 1634 of 2022 (State Security).
El-Rouby was listed in this case only after less than three months of his release pending another case, in which he spent more than a year and a half in pretrial detention, as El-Rouby participated in a phone interview on Al-Jazeera in which he talked about the difficulties that face the released detainees in living a normal life, he was arrested shortly after the interview. He faces charges of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media, the exact charges he faced before.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of Momtaz Ahmed Lotfy for 15 days in connection with case No. 1539 of 2022 (State Security). Lotfy was arrested from his house in Zagazig; the Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated him after posting a video about the fire that broke out in Gamasa prison despite publishing a denial of the news afterward. The investigations charged Lotfy with joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media.
Similarly, the Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of visual artist Amir Abdel Ghani for 15 days in connection with Case No. 1635 of 2022 (Supreme State Security).
Security forces arrested Abdel Ghani on September 10 and detained him in an unknown location until he appeared before the prosecution nine days later; they interrogated him regarding Facebook posts dating back to 2015 to 2020 about the high cost of drawing tools. Abdel Ghani faces charges of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its aims, spreading false news and statements that would harm public peace and order, and using a social media account to spread false news and information.
