Criminal Courts
On May 22, Cairo Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed the detention of lawyer Saied Hassan Ali for 45 days pending investigations of lawsuit No. 238 of 2021 (Supreme State Security).
Ali was convicted of this case after obtaining a release order in another case against the same charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
May 23 hearings:
The Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed the detention of four students for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 440 of 2022. The four students are physical therapy student Anas Mahmoud Zahran, cooperation institute student Karim Mohamed Refaat, and high school students Mazen Reda and Eslam Nagdy.
The Ministry of Interior claimed that the defendants exploited the volume of interaction on social media to achieve financial gains, although there is no evidence to support this claim. The four students are facing accusations of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and inciting a terrorist act.
The Criminal Court (First Circuit) also renewed Amr Abdel-Moneim’s detention for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 930 of 2019 (Supreme State Security), which is known in the media as the Hope Coalition case lawsuit, and included a number of political activists.
Abdel Moniem exceeded the maximum period of pretrial detention; however, his detention is still pending renewal, against accusations of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
The Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed the detention of translator Marwa Arafa for 45 days by the pending investigations of lawsuit No. 570 of 2020 (Supreme State Security). Despite not committing any crime, Arafa has exceeded the maximum period of pretrial detention and has spent three years in prison, away from her daughter. AFTE has called for Arafa’s release or for her detention to be replaced with a precautionary measure.
In April 2020, Arafa was arrested and accused of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes and committing a finance crime for a terrorist purpose.
The Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed student Mohamed Ahmed Saad’s detention for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 930 of 2019 ((Supreme State Security).
Security forces arrested Saad from the Faculty of Commerce, Al-Azhar University, on May 17, 2019, which necessitates his immediate release as he exceeded the legal period of pretrial detention stipulated in the Code of Criminal Procedure. Saad faces accusations of joining a terrorist group, financing this group, spreading false news and information, and using a social media account to spread false news.
The Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed Mohamed Mamdouh Abdel Halim’s detention for 45 days, pending his second case No. 855 of 2020 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).
Abdel Halim spent a year in pretrial detention pending another case; he was listed in the current case after his release against the exact charges of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media.
May 24 hearings:
The Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed Moataz Bellah Hasab Elnaby’s detention for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 965 of 2021 (Supreme State Security).
Security forces arrested Hasab Elnaby on July 12, 2021, against the grounds of several posts published on a Facebook account attributed to him; despite the fact that Hasab Elnaby denied his ownership of the account. He faces accusations of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes, spreading false news and information that would harm security, public order, and the interests of citizens, and using a social media account to spread false news and statements.
The Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed the detention of TV presenter, Hala Fahmy, for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 441 of 2022 (Supreme State Security).
Security forces arrested Fahmy on April 24, right after she posted a live video on Facebook stating that she was being chased down and mentioned that security force members in civilian clothes stormed her house while she was absent, her arrest came against posting several videos on Facebook. Fahmy faces accusations of joining a terrorist group, inciting to commit a crime and spreading false news domestically and abroad.
The Criminal Court (First Circuit) renewed the detention of the journalist at Al-Bawaba newspaper and the member of the Journalists Syndicate, Karim Ebrahim, for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 569 of 2020 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).
Security forces arrested Ebrahim in April 2022. He did not appear before the prosecution until in October of the same year, after six months of illegal detention, and his family has not been able to visit him during this period and until now. Ebrahim is accused of joining a terrorist group.
