AFTE’s Weekly Legal Bulletin (15:22 September 2024)| Detention Renewed for 18 Defendants and AFTE Submits Requests to Attorney General to Release 5 Persons After Pretrial Detention Period Ends

Date : Sunday, 22 September, 2024
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16 September Sessions 

Supreme State Security Prosecution

The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of a student and a child, for 15 days, as following: 

 

1- Student Abdelrahman Safwat Mohamedeen Hammad, pending investigations in case No. 3434 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

Mohamedeen was arrested on July 12, 2024, from his home due to sharing calls for demonstrations on July 12, as well as his posting of a video supporting Gaza and several posts discussing economic conditions.

He was unlawfully held in an unknown location until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on July 16, 2024. 

The prosecution charged him with joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its objectives, spreading false news and statements that could harm security and public order, and using a social media account to spread false news.

Mohamedeen was challenged with his mobile phone and some of his posts on Facebook. 

 

2- Belal Mohamed Fawzy Mohamed El-Saqaan, a 16-year-old, pending investigations in Case No. 3434 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

El-Saqaan was arrested on July 10, 2024, in connection with calls for protests on July 12. He remained unlawfully detained in an undisclosed location, unknown to his family, until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on July 14, 2024. The prosecution charged him with joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes, publishing and broadcasting false news and statements that could harm security and public order, and using a social media account to disseminate false news.

During the investigation, El-Saqaan stated that he had been added to a Telegram group calling for protests on that day but left the group immediately. The prosecution confronted him with his mobile phone.

17 September Sessions  

Supreme State Security Prosecution

 

The Supreme State Security Prosecution has renewed the detention of 5 persons for 15 days, who are: 

1- Ahmed Essam Abbas pending investigations in Case No. 2810 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

Abbas was arrested on June 29, 2024, due to posts on his Facebook account that included a comparison of commodity and service prices between 2013 and 2024. He remained unlawfully detained in an undisclosed location, unknown to his family, until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on July 16, 2024.

2- Yasser Mohamed Fouad Shaheen, pending investigations in Case No. 2810 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

Shaheen was arrested on June 29 due to posts on his Facebook account. He remained unlawfully detained in an undisclosed location, unknown to his family, until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on July 16, 2024.

The prosecution charged him with joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes, publishing and broadcasting false news and statements that could harm security and public order, and using a social media account to disseminate false news.

The prosecution confronted Shaheen with his mobile phone and Facebook posts, which discussed the economic situation in Egypt, Egypt’s stance on supporting the Palestinian cause, and political opinions on some government decisions.

3- Magdy Mohamed Mohamed Awad, pending investigations in Case No. 3434 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

Awad was arrested on July 6, 2024, in connection with calls for protests on July 12. He remained unlawfully detained in an undisclosed location, unknown to his family, until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on July 10, four days after his arrest.

The prosecution charged him with joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes, publishing and broadcasting false news and statements that could harm security and public order, and using a social media account to disseminate false news.

The prosecution confronted him with his mobile phone and Facebook posts, which included complaints about healthcare issues, high prices, power outages, and calls for protests on July 12.

4- Islam Mahmoud Abdelaziz Abu Saud, pending investigations in Case No. 3434 of 2024, Supreme State Security.

On July 12, 2024, Abu Saud was arrested in connection with calls for protests on July 12, 2024. He remained unlawfully detained in an undisclosed location, unknown to his family, until he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on July 16.

The prosecution charged him with joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes, publishing and broadcasting false news and statements that could harm security and public order, and using a social media account to disseminate false news.

The prosecution confronted Abu Saud with Facebook posts from his account, which included complaints about high prices and power outages and calls for protests on July 12.

 

5– Translator and cartoonist at Almanassa website  Ashraf Omar Mohamed Sadek, pending investigation in case No. 1568 of 2024 Supreme State Security. 

He has been charged with spreading false news that could disturb public peace and security, misusing social media, and joining a banned group. An iPad and 80,000 Egyptian pounds were confiscated during the arrest.

AFTE is defending Omar and cooperating with Mr. Khaled Ali’s law firm.

On July 22, A security force raided his home in the October Gardens at 1:30 AM and took him to an unknown location. 

Surveillance cameras showed a group of individuals in two microbuses entering the building, and about 40 minutes later, they were seen leaving with Omar, who was blindfolded. His family has been unable to ascertain his whereabouts or communicate with him for 3 days before presenting him at the prosecution.

Ashraf Omar recently published several satirical drawings on “Al-Manassa,” addressing issues such as the electricity crisis and the operation of the monorail amid scarce resources. He has also worked as a translator for books and articles for several platforms, including “Mada Masr.”

 

Criminal Court

The Criminal Court (First Circuit Terrorism) renewed the detention 6 persons for 45 days, who are: 

1- Ahmed Shaker Abou Elrous and Ali Othman Ali for attending a football match between Al-Ahly and Ghazal El-Mahala, after exceeding one year in pretrial detention. 

The security forces arrested Abou Elrous and Ali from Cairo International Stadium on April 5. They transferred them to Nasr City prosecution, which decided to release them on bail after two days; however, the prosecution’s decision didn’t pass. 

On April 10, the security forces transferred them to be interrogated before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which brought new accusations against them, namely, being a part of a terrorist organization, with knowledge of its aims, committing the crime of financing a terrorist group, spreading false news and statements that would harm public security and order, using an account on social media to spread the false news and information for a terrorist purpose.

The Egyptian authorities continued to target Al-Ahly fans. In the same month, they arrested 30 other fans after a match between Al-Ahly and Al-Ragaa. After this, Al-Ahly club fans demanded a boycott of Cairo International Stadium and burned the fan cards of the Tazkarti website in protest of these arrests. Subsequently, other fans were arrested, estimated at 39 other fans over these calls.

2- Mahmoud Gamal Abo Sree, investigations of lawsuit No. 508 of 2023 (Supreme State Security).

Security forces arrested Abo Sree On December 19, 2023, from Borg ElArab Airport while returning from abroad to spend a vacation with his family, he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on December 20, 2023, and was charged with joining a terrorist group while knowing its purposes, and publishing and broadcasting false news and information that would harm security and public order—and using an account on international information networks for publishing and posting false news and information.

It is also worth noting that he was not confronted with any seizures, nor was he confronted with any news or publications concerning him. 

3- Mohamed Mahmoud Amer Abdel Aziz, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 1984 of 2021 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).

Abdel Aziz is approaching his third year in prison, as he was arrested on October 15, 2021; he was subjected to enforced disappearance for 45 days in an unknown location. 

The national security investigation report stated that Amer had participated in a media movement attributed to the Muslim Brotherhood “terrorist group,” the same investigation that a warrant for his arrest and summons was issued. Abdel Aziz faces accusations of joining a terrorist group.

4- Hamed Sedeek, pending investigation of lawsuit No. 2207 of 2021 (Supreme State Security Prosecution), the second lawsuit in which Sedeek is a defendant.

Sedeek has been in custody for 5 years without bringing him to trial to prove the validity of the accusations against him, the same accusation brought against political activists without concrete evidence, namely joining a terrorist group, spreading false news and information, and misusing social media.

Sedeek’s arrest occurred on September 23, 2019; he was presented before the prosecution as a defendant pending the first lawsuit No. 1356 of 2019 and after three years in pretrial detention. 

The prosecution decided to release him; however, it re-accused him in the second lawsuit only a few days before his release. To practice “rotation,” he had to be kept in prison for longer.

5- Al-Tantawy’s presidential campaign member, Khaled Abdel Wahed Amin, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 191 of 2023 (Supreme State Security) after about 1 year in prison.

The security forces arrested Amin from his house on August 27 as part of an expanded security campaign that targeted Al-Tantawy’s supporters, members of his campaign, and his relatives and friends.

He’s accused 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.

18 September Sessions  

Criminal Court

The Criminal Court (Second Circuit) renewed the detention of Mahmoud Hanfy Mohamed for 45 days, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 93 of 2022 (Supreme State Security Prosecution) despite exceeding 2 years of pretrial detention.

Hanfy was arrested from his house in Qena governorate. He was interrogated before the Supreme State Security Prosecution for the first time on 22 February 2022, which accused him of spreading false news,  joining a terrorist group, and using an account on social media with the aim of spreading false news.

The First Circuit Terrorism and the same court renewed the detention of 4 others for 45 days: 

1- Mahmoud Nasser Ali Suleiman, pending investigations in Case No. 1410 of 2024 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).

On May 1, 2024, Suleiman was arrested from a street in Ismailia Governorate and remained unlawfully detained until May 4, 2024, when he was presented to the prosecution, which charged him with joining a terrorist group while knowing its purposes and publishing and broadcasting false news and statements that may harm security and public order, and use an account on social media to publish and broadcast false news.

Suleiman was not confronted with any posts on social media indicating that he had published any news.

2- The contractor, Abdel Rahaman Alwany, pending lawsuit No. 1635 of 2022 (Supreme State Security Prosecution). 

Alwany is 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 was illegally detained for a week before being brought before the prosecution.

3- Mohamed Ibrahim Abdo pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2064 of 2023 (Supreme State Security), in which Abdo is involved for posting videos on TikTok criticizing the policies of the current president of the country.

Security forces arrested the 31-year-old Abdo from his house in Monufia Governorate on 23 August 2023, he appeared before the prosecution a week after his arrest over accusations of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and using an internet account to commit a crime.

4- The enlisted man, Sherif Ahmed Ebrahim, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2064 of 2023 (State Security) in which Ebrahim is accused of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news and information, and using an internet account to commit a crime.

On 31 August 2023, the 22-year-old Ebrahim was arrested after he helped a police chief to shoot and publish a video on TikTok insulting the Ministry of Interior. The police chief was also arrested and held in custody in the same lawsuit.

 

19 September Sessions

Attorney General

AFTE filed requests to the Attorney General for the release of 5 exceeding the legal pretrial detention limit, who are: 

1- Translator and political activist Marwa Arafa following the expiration of his pretrial detention that was provided for in Article 143 of the Criminal Procedure Code, in case No. 570 of 2020 (Supreme State Security).

The request was numbered 60036 for the year 2024, the Technical Office, 

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- Photographer Hamdy Mokhtar Ali following the expiration of his pretrial detention that was provided for in Article 143 of the Criminal Procedure Code, in case No. 955 for the year 2020, Supreme State Security.

The request was numbered 60037 for the year 2024, the Technical Office.

Elzaeem was arrested on January 5, 2021, from his home after completing precautionary measures imposed on him in a case dating back to 2016. He remained forcibly disappeared in an unknown location until he was presented to the Supreme State Security Prosecution on January 16, 2021, which ordered his pretrial detention.

Since that time, Elzaeem has been detained on charges of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its aims, spreading false news and statements that could harm public security and order, and using a social media account to publish and broadcast false news and statements. 

3- Ahmed Al-Tohamy, the assistant professor of political science at the Faculty of Economic Studies and Political Science at Alexandria University  following the expiration of his pretrial detention that was provided for in Article 143 of the Criminal Procedure Code in lawsuit No. 649 of 2020 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).

The request was numbered 60027 for the year 2024, the Technical Office.

Al-Tohamy was arrested on June 3, 2020, and remained under enforced disappearance at a National Security headquarters in Cairo for 17 days. The prosecution’s investigations with Al-Tohamy focused on the accusations of collaborating with the Egyptian activist Mohamed Sultan, who resides in the United States, in the case Sultan filed against the former Prime Minister Hazem Al-Beblawy. Al-Tohamy denied these accusations before the Prosecution and stated that his security targeting was due to his academic research on the Arab Spring revolutions.

The prosecution accused Al-Tohamy of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media.

4- Journalist Karim Ebrahim following the expiration of his pretrial detention that was provided for in Article 143 of the Criminal Procedure Code in lawsuit No. 569 of 2020 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).

The request was numbered 60034 for the year 2024, the Technical Office. 

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.

5- Poet Galal ElBehairy following the expiration of his pretrial detention that was provided for in Article 143 of the Criminal Procedure Code in lawsuit No. 2000 of 2021 (Supreme State Security Prosecution). 

The request was numbered 60030 for the year 2024, the Technical Office. 

This is the third lawsuit against ElBehairy after his arrest for writing the song “Balaha,” which criticizes the current president’s policies.

ElBehairy was arrested on March 3, 2018, against accusations in two lawsuits. 

He was released from the first one, No. 480 of 2018, with precautionary measures on 17 April 2019. He was referred to a military court for the second lawsuit and sentenced to three years in prison, which ended on 31 July 2021. 

However, the Ministry of Interior refrained from implementing the procedures for ElBehairy’s release, and he remained illegally detained. 

The Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated ElBehairy in a new lawsuit, no. 2000 of 2021, and he remains in pretrial detention on similar accusations.

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