8 September Sessions
Supreme State Security Prosecution
The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of 2 citizens for 15 days, who are:
1- Muhammad Mahmoud Sabry Ismail, pending investigations in Case No. 95 of the 2023 Supreme State Security Prosecution.
Ismail was arrested at the airport while returning to Egypt to visit his family from the UAE, where he works.
Ismail was presented to the Supreme State Security Prosecution on May 27, 2024.
He was charged with joining a terrorist group while knowing its purposes, publishing and broadcasting false news and statements that would harm security and public order, and using an account on social media for publishing and broadcasting false news and statements.
2- Asmaa Mohamed Zakariya, pending investigations in Case No. 2810 of 2024, Supreme State Security Prosecution.
On June 29, 2024, Asmaa turned herself in at the police station near her home after a police force visited her house in her absence. She was stopped there unlawfully until she was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on July 3, 2024.
The prosecution has charged her with joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its aims, spreading false news and statements that could harm public security, and using a social media account to spread and broadcast false information.
The prosecution challenged her with several posts about the electricity outage crisis on her Facebook account, and she was also confronted with her mobile phone, which she admitted to owning.
It is worth noting that Asmaa is a mother of two young children, for whom she is responsible.
Criminal Court
The Criminal Court (First Circuit Terrorism) decided to renew the detention of 2 people for 45 days, who are:
1- Amr Abdel-Moneim, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 930 of 2019 (Supreme State Security), known in the media as “the Alliance of Hope lawsuit.
Abdel-Moneim exceeded four years in pretrial detention, as security forces arrested him on July 19, 2019, in connection with the aforementioned case, which included several political activists, many of whom were released. AFTE calls for Abdel-Moneim’s release, similar to those who were released in the same lawsuit, and for lack of legal justifications for his continued detention. Abdel-Moneim faces accusations of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
2- Journalist Karim Hamdi Salem, pending Case No. 570 of 2020, Supreme State Security Prosecution.
Salem faces charges of joining a terrorist group and financing that group. Salem works as a photojournalist for DMC Channel.
On the same day, the Third Circuit of the same court renewed the detention of 4 persons for 45 days, as follows:
1- Translator and political activist Marwa Arafa, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 570 of 2020 (Supreme State Security).
Arafa has been detained in connection with this lawsuit since April 2020, despite the lack of legal justifications for her continued imprisonment as the Criminal Procedure Code stipulates that the period of pretrial detention must not exceed two years, after which release is mandatory.
Arafa faces accusations of joining and financing a terrorist group; based on an accusation that she was financially supporting prisoners, Arafa denied the accusation and stated that she was only trying to help those in need, including the families of prisoners who may have lost their sole breadwinner. Even then, she had not provided any financial support, only supplies such as food and clothing.
Arafa is complaining about the security authorities’ refusal to allow her to continue her postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Law.
2- Mohamed Ahmed Saad, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 930 of 2019 (Supreme State Security), known in the media as “the Alliance of Hope lawsuit.” which included a large number of political activists, although he didn’t participate in any political activity.
Last May, Saad resumed his sixth year in pretrial detention, exceeding the legal period stipulated in the law.
He was arrested from inside the examination hall at the Faculty of Commerce at Al-Azhar University on May 17, 2019, and appeared before the Prosecution on July 1.
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.
3- Journalist Karim Ebrahim’s detention for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 569 of 2020 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).
Security forces arrested the journalist at Al-Bawaba newspaper and a member of the Journalists Syndicate in April 2020; he was arrested in connection with clashes between the police forces and armed members, which took place in the Alamiria district, his residence place.
He was also unlawfully detained for a month before being brought before the investigation authorities, which accused him of joining a terrorist group.
4- Moataz Bellah Hassab Elnaby’s detention for 45 days, pending the investigation of lawsuit No. 965 of 2021 (Supreme State Security), completing three years in pretrial detention.
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 ownership of the account.
9 September Sessions
Criminal Court
Cairo Criminal Court reserved the lawsuit of journalist Hassan Al-Qabany, in which he’s accused due to the similarity of names, on 12 November due to the absence of the prosecution witness, the lawsuit known as “Rabaa Operations Room” No. 2210 of 2014.
The case was scheduled for March 27, July 27, May 12, and September 9 before being postponed for the same reason.
On April 11, 2015, Al-Qabany was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment without being informed of his referral to trial and without being interrogated in the lawsuit against accusations of joining a group established in violation of the law while knowing its purposes, participating in a criminal agreement aimed to attempt to overthrow the state’s constitution and its government using force, publishing and spreading false news and information domestically and abroad about the domestic situation of the country. And after his arrest took place in May 2023, Al-Qabany requested a retrial.
Journalist Khaled Mamdouh’s Detention Renewed for 15 Days, Nearly 2 Months After His Home Was Raided and He Was Forcibly Disappeared.
Moreover, The Cairo Criminal Court (Third Circuit Terrorism) renewed the detention of 3 persons for 45 days, who are:
1- Omar Mohamed Mohamed ElDahma, pending investigations in Case No. 2469 of 2023 (Supreme State Security), following his participation in demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine on Friday, 13 October, in Alexandria.
Security forces stopped ElDahma, a graphic designer, in front of his house in Alexandria’s Miami neighborhood.
The prosecution charged him with joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and participating in a gathering that would put public peace in danger.
2- Lawyer Saied Hassan Ali, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 238 of 2021 (Supreme State Security), which exceeds 3 years in prison.
After his release from another, the Supreme State Security Prosecution investigated Ali in this lawsuit. The lawyer and human rights defender faces accusations of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
3- Muhammad Fathallah Rushdi Zayan, pending investigations in Case No. 2727 of 2023, Supreme State Security.
Zayan was arrested on October 15, 2023, from his home in Beni Suef Governorate based on an arrest warrant in another case No. 2255 of 2023, Supreme State Security, the case of electoral process papers of potential candidate Ahmed Al-Tantawi. The prosecution investigated him on the same day, and he was detained pending investigations.
On October 25, 2023, the prosecution excluded him from referral to trial in the electoral process papers case and copied his papers to the case in which he is now being held in pretrial detention.
Zayan was confronted with a video clip that he posted on his Facebook account from the conference of the potential candidate at the time, Ahmed Al-Tantawi, during his visit to Beni Suef Governorate. A TV channel took that video and broadcast it on its screen.
He was charged with participating with a terrorist group in achieving its goals, publishing and broadcasting fake news and statements that would harm security and public order, and using an account on the internet for the purpose of publishing and broadcasting fake news and statements.
Supreme State Security Prosecution
The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed journalist Khaled Mamdouh Mohamed Ibrahim’s detention for 15 days, pending investigation in case number 1282 of the 2024 Supreme State Security Prosecution.
During the session, Mamdouh complained about the dire living conditions and water shortages at Abu Zaabal Prison, as well as mistreatment by the prison administration, after the prosecution allowed Mamdouh to speak with them during the session.
He also requested to know the reasons for his detention and the accusations against him without being confronted with any actual crime.
On 21 July, Mamdouh was presented to the prosecution without any evidence or attachments, 6 days after raiding his home and enforcing his disappearance.
He was accused of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its objectives, financing a terrorist group, and publishing and broadcasting fake news and statements that would harm security and public order.
The prosecution seized his phone and laptop.
On July 17, AFTE filed a complaint with the Attorney General, numbered 846067 for the year 2024, detailing the events of security forces raiding the home of journalist Khaled Mamdouh and taking him to an unknown place on July 16.
In the complaint, AFTE stated that a security force searched Mamdouh’s home randomly and refused to disclose their identities, their affiliation, or the reason for his arrest.
His family has been unable to determine his place of detention or communicate with him before presenting him to the prosecution.
It is worth mentioning that Mamdouh’s arrest report was dated 20 July, not the date of his actual arrest on 16 July.
14 September Sessions
Appeals Disciplinary Board of the Ministry of Higher Education
The Appeals Disciplinary Board of the Ministry of Higher Education reserved Dr. Manar El-Tantawy’s appeal against the ruling of the Primary Disciplinary Board that sanctioned her with a salary deduction of 5 days due to a verbal altercation with a colleague for ruling on 16 November.
The Appeals Disciplinary Board approved defense requests to review the disciplinary case file and to include the sanctions record of Dr. Manar El-Tantawy, who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Higher Institute of Technology on the 10th of Ramadan.
The incident dates back to 2022 when a teaching assistant entered her institute’s workshops without permission. A verbal altercation ensued, during which El-Tantawy was insulted verbally.
The council did not condemn the teaching assistant who assaulted El-Tantawy; instead, it condemned her for denouncing this insult.
In December 2023, the Appellate Disciplinary Board decided to acquit Manar El-Tantawy of the charge of insulting the Higher Institute of Technology and the head of the Institute and canceled the penalty of deducting 15 days from El-Tantawy’s salary.
El-Tantawy faces intransigence from the institute’s administration to prevent her from being promoted and assuming the position of head of the mechanical engineering department, which she previously held and then apologized for in 2016 due to health conditions.
