22 September Sessions
Criminal Court
The Criminal Court (Third Circuit) decided to renew the detention of 3 people for 45 days, who are:
– Amir Sayed Mohamed and Reyad Mohamed Abdel Rahaman, 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.
– Mohamed Al-Qassas, vice president of the Strong Egypt Political Party, for 45 days pending his third lawsuit, No. 786 of 2020 (Supreme State Security).
Al-Qassas was arrested in February 2017, coinciding with an extensive arrest campaign launched by the security forces against members and leaders of the Strong Egypt Political Party. He was involved as a defendant in his first lawsuit, No. 977 of 2017, known in the media as the “Mekamleen 2 lawsuit.” after nearly 22 months in pretrial detention, the prosecution ordered his release. However, a few days later, the prosecution interrogated and listed him in a second lawsuit, No. 1781 of 2019, over the same accusations he previously faced.
On August 5, 2020, the Criminal Court ordered Al-Qassas to be released with precautionary measures. Still, the decision was not implemented, and for the third time, Al-Qassas was included in lawsuit No. 786 of 2020, and one more time, over the same accusations. In 2021, the Supreme State Security Prosecution listed Al-Qassas in his fourth lawsuit, No. 440 of 2018. It later referred this lawsuit to the Emergency State Security Court, which sentenced Al-Qassas to 10 years in heavy prison and police observation for five years after the sentence ended.
Al-Qassas is detained over accusations of being a part of a terrorist group with knowledge of this group’s aims and spreading and publishing false news and information.
Supreme State Security Prosecution
The Supreme State Security Prosecution has renewed the detention of a mother and a citizen returning from abroad, for 15 days:
1- 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 to her home after a police force visited her home 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 owning.
It is worth noting that Asmaa is a mother of two young children, for whom she is responsible.
2- Muhammad Mahmoud Sabry Ismail’s detention, 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.
23 September sessions
Criminal Court
The Criminal Court (Third Circuit) renewed the detention of an architect and a professor for 45 days:
1- Ahmed Al-Tohamy, the assistant professor of political science at the Faculty of Economic Studies and Political Science at Alexandria University, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 649 of 2020 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).
Last week, AFTE submitted a request to the Attorney General, numbered 60036 for the year 2024, the Technical Office, demanding the immediate release of 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).
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.
2- The architect Hassan Abdel Hamid Hassan Ahmed, pending investigations in Case No. 488 of the 2019 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).
Abdel Hamid was arrested in November 2019, and presented to the prosecution in January 2020 on charges of joining a terrorist group, and publishing and spreading false news and statements.
It is worth mentioning that Abdel Hamid was unlawfully detained in an unknown place from the time of his arrest until he was presented to the prosecution in violation of the constitution and the law. He was also tortured during his enforced disappearance.
Abdel Hamid is 55 years old, and suffers from several chronic diseases. He was also injured in a car accident in 1997, which caused cracks and fractures, and the installation of plates and screws in various places in his body.
During his detention, Abdel Hamid was hospitalized more than once. His father passed away in July 2020, and his mother died in April 2023.
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 a previous 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.
24 September 2024
Criminal Court
The Criminal Court (Third Circuit Terrorism) renewed the detention of 2 persons for 45 days, who are:
1- Ahmed Abdel Mageed Oraby, pending investigations of lawsuit No. 2094 of 2022 (Supreme State Security), in which Oraby is accused of sharing Facebook discussing poor living conditions.
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 to commit a terrorist crime, spreading false news and statements, and using an account on social media to commit a crime.
2-Poet Galal ElBehairy, pending the investigation of lawsuit No. 2000 of 2021 (Supreme State Security Prosecution).
One week before, AFTE submitted a request to the Attorney General, numbered 60030 for the year 2024, the Technical Office, demanding the immediate release of 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).
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.
26 September Sessions
State Commissioners Authority
The State Commissioners Authority has reserved Manar Al-Tantawy’s Lawsuit to decide on her entitlement to the professorship, in lawsuit No.73299, or Judicial Year 77, challenging the negative decision of the Higher Institute of Technology in the 10th of Ramadan City for refusing to implement the Administrative Court’s ruling in Case No. 61520 for Judicial Year 75, which was referred by the Administrative Court (fist circuit) to the State Commissioners Authority on August 18th.
The legal dispute dates back to the Higher Institute of Technology in the 10th of Ramadan City refusal to implement the Administrative Court’s ruling in Case No. 61520 for Judicial Year 75. This ruling affirmed Dr. Manar El-Tantawy’s right to obtain a professorship after security authorities denied her promotion due to her being the wife of former detainee Hisham Jaafar.
