Criminal Courts
On August 5, the Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed the detention of the two content creators, Ahmed Tarek and Basma Hegazy, for 45 extra days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 184 of 2023 (Supreme State Security).
The two content creators known as “Warda” and “Chocolata” enter their seventh months in pretrial detention within a few days, and all those who participated in the humorous video that caused their arrest on January 25. The content of the video featured a person in prison for arguing with a person in power. The two content creators face accusations of joining a terrorist group, committing the crime of financing terrorism, spreading false news and information, and using social media accounts to spread false news and information.
On the following day’s hearing, the Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed the detention of academic Ahmed Altohamy for 45 extra days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 649 of 2020 (Supreme State Security Prosecution), even though Altohamy exceeded three years in pretrial detention.
Altohamy, the assistant professor of political science at the Faculty of Economic Studies and Political Science at Alexandria University, was arrested on June 3, 2020, and was subjected to enforced disappearance for 17 days after the interrogations before the prosecution, which accused him of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media.
Supreme State Security Prosecution
And after more than three years in pretrial detention, the Supreme State Security Prosecution released Ahmed Hassanein Mohamed Moussa under the guarantee of his place of residence, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 1475 of 2019 (Supreme State Security).
Moussa was arrested in October 2019; he was subjected to enforced disappearance for nearly two months until he appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which accused him of joining a terrorist group, committing a financing crime, spreading false news, and misusing social media.
Univirsites’ Disciplinary Councils
On August 8, The Disciplinary Council of the Teaching Staff at the Higher Technological Institute in the 10th of Ramadan City decided to adjourn the disciplinary hearing of Manar Al-Tantawy to the next August 15, as Al-Tantawy’s defense requested a copy of Doctor Haitham Alzumor’s approval of leave for the institute’s laboratory workers, as a prove for the violations against Al-Tantawy, as the institute’s administration didn’t take any measures with Alzumor, as happened with Al-Tantawy.
Al-Tantawy was referred to the Disciplinary Council on April 12 after she approved leave requests for the laboratory secretary who works under her supervision in the department. The head of the mechanical engineering department at the institute filed a complaint accusing Al-Tantawy of impersonating the head of the department and approving leave requests for the department employees unjustly.
Referring Al-Tantawi to the Disciplinary Council constitutes a kind of violation practiced against her, which has been going on for more than two years, after conflicts that lasted a year between her and the institute’s dean over Al-Tantawy’s eligibility to return to her official and legal position as head of the mechanical engineering department at the institute, which she temporarily apologized for it due to a health problem she went through. After that, the institute’s dean refused her request to restore her position for political reasons, namely, being the wife of detained journalist Hisham Gaafar. The Administrative Court settled these conflicts in Al-Tantawy’s favor as the Court ruled that Al-Tanawy should return to her official position.
