AFTE’s Weekly Legal Bulletin (15: 22 October 2023)| The detention of 18 defendants renewed, including a member of Ahmed Al Tantawy’s presidential campaign and two protests in solidarity with Palestine

Date : Thursday, 26 October, 2023
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Detention renewals

The 15th of October hearings: 

 

The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of Ahmed Al-Tantawy’s presidential campaign member, Khaled Abdel Wahed Amin, for 15 days pending investigations of lawsuit No. 191 of 2023 (Supreme State Security), in which he’s involved in an expanded security campaign that targeted Al Tantawy’s supporters, members of his campaign, and his relatives and friends.

The prosecution accused Amin of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news and information that would harm public peace and order, and using a social media account to spread false news and information.

 

The Criminal Court (Second Circuit) renewed Mohamed Mahmoud Amer Abdel Aziz’s detention for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 1984 of 2021 (Supreme State Security Prosecution). Security forces arrested Abdel Aziz on October 15, 2021, from his house; he forcibly disappeared for a month and a half. He later appeared before the Prosecution against charges of joining a terrorist group.

 

The Criminal Court (Second Circuit) renewed Mohamed Raafat Nasr Taha’s detention for 45 days pending investigations of lawsuit No. 1977 of 2022 (Supreme State Security), in which he’s accused of joining a terrorist group, committing the crime of financing terrorism, using social media to call for a terrorist act, participating in a criminal agreement intended to commit a terrorist crime, incitement to commit a terrorist crime, and publishing and spreading false news and information.

Security forces arrested Nasr from Alexandria on November 2; he forcibly disappeared for five days before being brought before the investigation authorities.

 

The Criminal Court also renewed the detention of contractor Abdel Rahaman Alwany for 45 days pending lawsuit No. 1635 of 2022 (Supreme State Security Prosecution), in which he’s accused of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news and information, and using social media to commit a crime.

Security forces arrested Alwany from his house on the 1st of November 2022, and he was illegally detained for a week before being brought before the prosecution.

 

The Criminal Court (Second Circuit) renewed the detention of barista, Gaber Mohamed Badawy, for 45 days pending investigations of lawsuit No. 1977 of 2022 (Supreme State Security).

On October 24, police forces stormed Badawy’s house and arrested him; he was illegally detained in an unknown location for two weeks for sharing Facebook posts where he called for the November 11 demonstrations.

Badawy faces accusations of joining and financing a terrorist group, spreading false news, incitement to commit a terrorist act, and participating in a criminal agreement intended to commit a terrorist act.

The 16th of October hearings: 

 

The Criminal Court (Second Circuit) renewed the detention of poet Galal Al-Behairi, for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2000 of 2021 (Supreme State Security Prosecution), which is the third lawsuit against Al-Behairi after his arrest for writing the song “Balaha,” which criticizes the policies of the current president.

Al-Behairi went on two hunger strikes during this year. He also attempted to commit suicide on 9 September, but his life was saved at the last minute. Beheiry’s suicide attempt came in protest against his prolonged detention without evidence or serious investigations. He has been held in pretrial detention for more than five years on charges repeatedly used to abuse prisoners of conscience, namely, joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes and spreading and broadcasting false news and statements that would harm public security.

 

The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed Hany Baset Soliman’s detention for 15 days pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2203 of 2023 (Supreme State Security). Soliman was arrested from Matrouh governorate on the 50th anniversary of October’s victory over chanting and filming.

Soliman faces accusations of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and using an account on social media to commit a crime.

 

The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of the 31-year-old Monufia Governorate resident, Mohamed Ibrahim Abdo, for 15 days pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2064 of 2023 (Supreme State Security), which Abdo is involved in for posting videos on TikTok criticizing the policies of the current president of the country.

Therefore, the security forces arrested him from his house on August 21, and he did not appear before the prosecution until a week after his arrest and was detained at Badr Prison 2. The prosecution accused Abdo of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and using an internet account to commit a crime.

The Criminal Court (Second Circuit) renewed the detention of the 45-year-old farm owner Ahmed Mahmoud Ali Elhadidi, for 45 days pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2094 of 2022 (Supreme State Security), in which he’s involved over posting calls for November 11 demonstrations on his Facebook profile.

Security forces arrested Elhadidi on November 9, 2022; he faces accusations of joining a terrorist group, financing terrorism, incitement to commit a terrorist crime, participating in a criminal agreement aimed at committing a terrorist crime, spreading false news and information, and using an internet account to commit a terrorist crime.

 

The Criminal Court (Second Circuit) renewed the detention of Ahmed Abdel Mageed Oraby for 45 days, pending investigations of his second lawsuit, No. 2094 of 2022 (Supreme State Security).

A security force arrested Orabyin November after he shared several posts on Facebook contains his political opinions and comments on the domestic situation; notably, Oraby was detained for a year and a half pending the case of “Al-Ittihadiya Palace events” he also lost his left eye in the clashes of Mohamed Mahmoud street. Oraby faces accusations of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its aims, committing the crime of financing terrorism, inciting to commit a terrorist crime, participating in the criminal agreement to commit a terrorist crime, spreading false news and information, and using an account on the Internet to commit a terrorist crime.

Cairo Criminal Court (Second Circuit) decided to renew the detention of Mohamed Abdel Aal Abou El-Dahab for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2094 of 2022 (Supreme State Security).

Security forces arrested Abou El-Dahab on November 10; he appeared before the prosecution five days later to face accusations of joining a terrorist group, committing the crime of financing terrorism, using social media to promote a terrorist act, participating in a criminal agreement to commit a terrorist crime (demonstrations), inciting to commit a terrorist crime (demonstrations), and spreading false news and statements.

On October 17, the Criminal Court (Second Circuit) renewed the detention of the deputy director of the Information Technology Department at Al-Akhbar newspaper, Yehia Elsayed Othman, Student Islam Ramadan Kamel, Adel Ahmed Soliman, and Mohamed Mostafa Abdel Qader, for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 1893 of 2022 (Supreme State Security).

The police forces arrested the defendants at various times last November for sharing their political views. Elsayed Othman shared a video via Facebook complaining about price hikes, while the 83-year-old Ahmed Adel Soliman called for the November 11 demonstrations.

All of them face the same repeated accusations, which are usually leveled against opponents and critics of the current political regime, which are joining and financing a terrorist group with their knowledge of its aims, inciting a terrorist act, promoting a terrorist act through social media, spreading false news, and participating in a criminal agreement intended to commit a terrorist act.

On October 18, the Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed Mohamed Ramadan Asr’s detention for 15 days pending investigations of lawsuit No. 1976 of 2023 (Supreme State Security), in which Asr is accused over posting videos on TikTok where he spoke of the country’s economic situation and electricity outage.

Asr is 42 years old and works as a property guard in Mokattam. A security force arrested him on August 12 after his videos went viral; the prosecution accused him of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and using an internet account to commit a crime.

On October 22, the Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to detain two protestors who participated in the solidarity demonstrations with Palestine last Friday in Alexandria, namely the student at the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Omar Khaled Ghazy, and the graphic designer, Omar Mohamed ElDahma, for 15 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2469 of 2023 (Supreme State Security).

Security forces arrested Ghazy from the solidarity march on the Alexandria Corniche, and also stopped ElDahma in front of his house in the Miami neighborhood in Alexandria. The prosecution charged them with joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and participating in a gathering that would endanger public peace.

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