20 May 2024 Sessions
State Security Prosecution
The State Security Prosecution decided to renew the detention of student Ziad Muhammad Ahmed Al-Basiouni for 15 days pending investigations in Case No. 1941 of 2024 State Security on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news due to his participation in writing a statement on behalf of the “Students for Palestine” group demanding facilitating the Joining of Palestinian students in Egypt to study and exempting them from expenses.
On April 30, Al-Basiouni attended a meeting with other students to discuss the situation in Palestine. They also established a student group that supported Palestine in all Egyptian universities, and they chose the name “Students for Palestine” for their group.
Al-Basiouni was arrested from his home at dawn on May 9, disappeared in an unknown location, and was interrogated regarding his family’s political activity, as well as his student activities.
The group also issued a statement in which they called on the Ministry of Higher Education to ban products that support the Israeli occupation.
Al-Basiouni is 20 years old and a student at the Acting Institute.
21 May 2024 Sessions
Criminal Court
On 21 May, The Criminal Court (First Circuit Terrorism) decided to renew the detention of three people for 45 days:
1- Ahmed Abdel Mageed Oraby, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2094 of 2022 (Supreme State Security), in which Oraby is accused over Facebook posts he shared discussing poor living conditions.
It should be noted that Oraby lost his eye in the clashes of Mohamed Mahmoud Street, and he was previously imprisoned for a year and a half. This time, he was arrested in November 2022.
He faces accusations of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes, committing a terrorist financing crime, inciting a terrorist act, participating in a criminal agreement for the purpose of committing a terrorist crime, spreading false news and statements, and using an account on social media to commit a crime.
2- Poet Galal Al-Behairi, 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.
During the last session, Al-Behairi complained of jaw pain two years after he underwent jaw surgery inside his prison.
AFTE lawyers submitted a request to the court to bring him to the medical center in his prison to be examined and treated.
Al-Behairi went on two hunger strikes last 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.
3- Ahmed Abou Elsoud Tawfiq’s detention, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2094 of 2022 (Supreme State Security).
Security forces arrested Tawfiq with of his activities ( Ziad Abo El-Fadl, Khaled Abdel Mohsen, Mohamed Abdel Aal Abou Eldahab) on November 10, 2022, from Alexandria governorate, as a part of the security tightness campaigns against the call for demonstrations; five days later they appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution against 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 information.
Over the next months, the other three were released, while Tawfiq’s detention continued.
22 May 2024 Sessions
Prosecutor Office
The lawyer for the Foundation for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE), in cooperation with Khaled Ali Law Office, submitted a report to the prosecutor, No. 31382 of 2024, to investigate the incident of unlawful detention of Mahmoud Muhammad Ahmed Hussein, known as the “T-shirt Detainee,” in an unknown location after they met officer of the Khanka Police Department on May 19, 2024, he denied that they were detaining Mahmoud.
Days before, the lawyers submitted another report, No. 30041 of 2024, to the prosecutor to investigate the unlawful detention of Hussein at the Khanka Police Department and the failure to implement the court’s decision to release him.
On April 23, 2024, the Criminal Court decided to postpone the hearing of Mahmoud’s case until June 26, 2024, and to release him with a financial guarantee of 10,000 pounds.
Mahmoud faces a life sentence in absentia on charges of possessing firecrackers. To re-plead the case and oblige the prosecution to submit the original case.
In August 2023, Hussein was arrested in an ambush in Giza Governorate, in implementation of the verdict in absentia issued against him from the Emergency State Security Court in 2018 to life imprisonment in lawsuit No. 37883 of 2017 against charges of possession of firecrackers, which is the same case for which he was imprisoned for more than two years.
The events of the lawsuit date back to January 25, 2014, when the Al-Marg police forces arrested him when he was 17 years old, issued a report No. 715 of 2014, and referred him to the public prosecution office, which charged him with “joining a group established in violation of the provisions of the law, incitement and participating in demonstrations and possessing firecrackers.” He was released in March 2016.
Criminal Court
The Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed the detention of Amir Sayed Mohamed and Reyad Mohamed Abdel Rahaman for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 744 of 2023 (Supreme State Security).
Although Amir and Reyad are Zamalek football club fans, the prosecution accused them of joining a terrorist group, Ultras Ahlawy, and spreading false news and information that would harm public security and order.
Security forces arrested Amir and Reyad on May 3 from the DownTown district in Cairo, and security forces detained them without legal basis and in an unknown location for eight days before presenting them before the prosecution.
