AFTE’s Weekly Legal Bulletin ( 5: 12 January 2025)| Detention Renewed for 12 Citizens, Including 2 Students, Four Al-Ahly and Zamalek Fans, and 2 Al-Tantawy Campaign Members; One Acquittal, and 3 Cases Referred to Trial

Date : Sunday, 12 January, 2025
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6 January Sessions 

Criminal Court

The Cairo Criminal Court decided to renew the detention of 8 persons for 45 days: 

1- 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.

 

2-  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-Tantawy. 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.

 

3-  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.

 

4-  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. 

 

5- Amir Sayed Mohamed and Reyad Mohamed Abdel Rahaman for 45 days, 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.

 

6- 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.

In May 2024, Saad resumed his sixth year in pretrial detention, exceeding the legal period stipulated in the law. 

He was arrested on May 17, 2019, from inside the examination hall at the Faculty of Commerce at Al-Azhar University, 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.

 

8 January Sessions 

Criminal Court

The Cairo Criminal Court has renewed the detention of 4 defendants for 45 days and acquitted one defendant. They are:

1- 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.

 

2- 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. 

 

3- 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 2023,  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.

 

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, power outages, and calls for protests on July 12.

 

The South Cairo Criminal Court of Appeal ruled to accept Khaled Galal Helmy’s appeal procedurally and, on the merits, annulled the previous verdict, sentencing him to one year in prison and a fine of 3,000 EGP. The court acquitted him of all charges in Case No. 2404 of 2024 (Al-Darb Al-Ahmar Felonies), registered as No. 1821 of 2024 (Cairo General Prosecution).

Previously, in September 2024, the Cairo Criminal Court had sentenced Helmy to imprisonment and a fine for possessing unlicensed ammunition. However, the appeals court overturned this verdict and acquitted him during the session held on January 8, 2025.

It is worth noting that Khaled Galal Helmy, a mosque caretaker from the Rod Al-Farag area, was previously released in February 2024 in a different case by a decision from the North Cairo Criminal Court, which replaced his pretrial detention with precautionary measures. Despite this, the Rod Al-Farag police station did not implement the decision, detaining him instead until he was referred to a new case before the Al-Darb Al-Ahmar Prosecution.

11 January Sessions 

Supreme State Security Prosecution

The Supreme State Security Prosecution has referred 3 cases to substantive trial. They are:

1- Case No. 93 of 2022 (State Security Prosecution) to a substantive trial, without setting a date for the hearing yet.

The Criminal Court (Second Circuit) had previously renewed Mahmoud Hanfy Mohamed’s detention for an additional 45 days on September 18, 2024, despite his exceeding two years in pretrial detention since his arrest from his home in Qena Governorate.

Hanfy faces charges of spreading false news, joining a terrorist group, and using a social media account to commit a crime.

 

2- Case No. 930 of 2019 (State Security Prosecution), known in the media as the “Hope Cell Case,” without setting a date for the hearing yet.

It is worth noting that the Criminal Court (Second Terror Circuit) had previously renewed Abdel-Moneim’s detention for 45 days, despite him exceeding the maximum pretrial detention limit of two years, having spent more than five years in custody since his arrest on June 21, 2019.

AFTE has called for Abdel-Moneim’s immediate release, following the example of others who were released in the same case, especially given the lack of legal justification for his continued detention. Abdel-Moneim faces charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and information.

 

3- Case No. 570 of 2020 to a substantive trial, without setting a date for the hearing yet.

Karim Hamdy Salem, a photojournalist at DMC channel, faces charges of joining a terrorist group and financing that group. It is worth noting that the Criminal Court (First Terror Circuit) had previously renewed Salem’s detention for 45 days on September 8, 2024, pending investigations in the same case.

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