The detention of six defendants renewed; other six released, Journalist Oxygen sentenced to four years in prison, and Haneen Hossam’s retrial adjourned to January 18.
Criminal Courts
Sunday’s December 12 hearings, The Criminal Court (The Fifth Circuit Criminal/ Terrorism) renewed the detention of Amer Abdel-Moneim for 45 days, in connection with Case No. 1017 of 2020 (Supreme State Security).
Supreme State Security Prosecution charged Abdel-Moneim with joining a terrorist group spreading false news and using a social media website to commit a crime. This came after his arrest on December 18, 2020, from his house in Al-Haram district against the backdrop of his journalistic work.
Abdel Moneim suffers from health problems that have worsened with his detention. AFTE urged the Public Prosecutor Hamada al-Sawy to speedily release him and to enable him to receive healthcare.
The Criminal Court (The Fifth Circuit Criminal/ Terrorism) renewed the detention of Alaa Essam for 45 days in connection with Case No. 930 of 2019 (Supreme State Security). Known in the media as the Alliance of Hope case.
Security forces arrested Essam on June 28, 2019, from his house in Suez. The following day he was presented before The Supreme State Security Prosecution pending the mentioned case; A number of Essam’s friends pointed to his poor conditions regarding being denied exercise, visits, and access to healthcare as he suffers from back and cartilage pain.
Essam faces charges of joining a terrorist group in its activity, Using the Internet to commit a crime, and spreading false news.
And The Criminal Court (The Fifth Circuit Criminal/ Terrorism) decided to renew the detention of both Mohamed Oxygen and Sameh Saudi for 45 days, in connection with Case No. 855 of 2020 (Supreme State Security). Oxygen and Saudi face charges of joining a terrorist group.
Wednesday’s December 15 hearings, The Criminal Court (The Council Chamber) decided to release Gouda Essam, Abdel-Rahman Amin, Mohamed Radwan, Omar Khaled, Abdel-Satar Mohamed, and Eslam Samir, in connection with Case No. 1116 of 2020 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).
The decision to release the defendants came with imposing precautionary measures as an alternative to pretrial detention, represented in handing the defendant himself over to the police station in his neighborhood for a certain number of hours weekly.
The Security forces arrested the defendants during the last week of June, they were charged with joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
The Criminal Court (The Fifth Circuit Criminal/ Terrorism) renewed the detention of journalist Tawfiq Ghanem for 45 days in connection with Case No. 238 of 2021 (Supreme State Security).
Security forces arrested Ghanem on May 21, 2021, from his house in the 6th of October City after they searched the house and confiscated some of his personal belongings, Supreme State Security Prosecution charged Ghanem with Joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media to commit a crime.
In the same context, The Criminal Court (The Fifth Circuit Criminal/ Terrorism) renewed the detention of Doctor Hossam Elden Shaaban for 45 days in connection with Case No. 910 of 2021 (Supreme State Security).
Security forces arrested Shaaban on May 15 from Al-Arish Hospital while he was within the Health Ministry convoy sent to the Gaza Strip. He appeared at the Supreme State Security Prosecution on the first of June. which charged him with joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and using a social media account to commit a crime.
On December 20 hearing, The Criminal Court (Circuit 15 South Cairo) decided to adjourn the trial session of Haneen Hossam in connection with Case No. 4917 of 2020, (Sahel Felonies), restricted to No. 2106 of 2020 (North Cairo), known in the media as the human trafficking case, to next January 18 for the defense panel’s requests.
Hossam’s defense requested the following before the court:
1- Authorization to extract an official copy of the witness’s testimony in Case No. 246 of 2020, restricted to No. 479 of 2020, in which the Cairo Economic Court found Hossam not guilty of the charges leveled against her.
2- An official copy of record No. 2016 of 2020 (Al-Waili misdemeanor)
3- Hearing of victims Malak Mohammad, Habiba Essam, Rawan Saleh, Nada Khaled, and Hebat Allah Khaled Ahmed Mousa testimony, the girls that Hossam contacted on the WhatsApp group in order to work with her at Likee.
In her own defense, Hossam argued after the Court allowed her to speak at the beginning of the session that all that she was asked is to promote Likee App, which already has advertisements and promotions everywhere.
Emergency State Security Courts
The Emergency State Security Misdemeanor Court, on December 20, sentenced journalist and blogger Mohamed Oxygen to four years in prison on charges of spreading false news domestically and abroad.
This came in connection with Case No. 1228 of 2021 (Emergency State Security Misdemeanor The Fifth Settlement). The Court also sentenced human rights activist Alaa Abdel-Fatah to 5 years in prison and Human rights lawyer Mohamed Al-Baker to four years in prison.
District Courts
On Monday, December 20, Belbis Misdemeanors court decided to set the trial session of Amr Mohamed Mostafa, known as “Amr Socrates” to the next December 27 session for adjudication. in connection with Case No. 24382 of 2021 (Belbis Misdemeanors).
Socrates faces charges of possessing publications that promote a terrorist group’s ideas; Security forces arrested him on November 6 while filing his recruitment papers; later on, after three days, he appeared before the South Zagazig Prosecution, against the backdrop of charges of joining a terrorist group and possessing publications that promote its ideas.
