The Committee for Justice (CFJ) stated that political executions in Egypt have become a systematic policy deliberately practiced under a judicial system that lacks the most basic elements of justice. This system relies on police investigations and reports often based on fabrication or malicious intelligence, constituting a blatant violation of fair trial standards and the fundamental rights of the accused.
The committee emphasized that this abusive approach is no longer an isolated or exceptional case; it has evolved into a fixed and institutionalized pattern used as a tool to pressure opponents and settle political scores under the guise of law in Egypt, thereby threatening any real guarantees for the right to defense, judicial independence, or the integrity of trial procedures.
These observations come amid the issuance of a death sentence by hanging from the Second Circuit of the First Instance Criminal Court, convened at the Badr Court Complex and presided over by Judge Wajdi Mohamed Abd El-Moneim, against one of the defendants in case number 423 of 2023, State Security Prosecution – High Court File, known in media as the “Qena ISIS Cell” case. The ruling came after a long and complex legal process lasting nearly one year and three months, marred by numerous violations and selective procedures.
Since the beginning of the case, the trial sessions of the accused were postponed several times. The last postponement was issued by the Third Circuit of the Criminal Court, which rescheduled the first hearing to March 12th, upon the request of the defense team to prepare the documents and assess the social status of the second defendant through a social expert.
Despite these lengthy adjournments, which revealed the complexity of the case and its lack of readiness, subsequent procedures moved at an accelerated pace, ultimately leading to the referral of the case to the Grand Mufti, followed by final verdicts including the death penalty by hanging for one of the accused — Mohamed Arabi Abdel Aziz — and a fifteen-year harsh prison sentence for the other defendant — Mohamed Safwat Abdel Wahab — along with placing both names on the terrorist lists.
The CFJ stresses that this contradiction in procedures raises many questions regarding the seriousness of the court in ensuring genuine justice, further fueling suspicions that the purpose of such trials is to wrap up acts of political repression and marginalization in a false legal framework.
Moreover, the charges leveled against the defendants — related to “joining a terrorist group established contrary to the law” — are vague and general in nature, relying on broad formulations that fail to clearly define the alleged crime or present tangible criminal evidence to substantiate the accusations. This contradicts international standards for defining crimes and guaranteeing the defendant’s right to precisely understand the charges and respond to them.
In light of all the above, the CFJ rejects the death sentence issued against defendant Mohamed Arabi Abdel Aziz and calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately halt its enforcement, considering this a necessary step toward reforming the country’s criminal justice system.
The committee also demands a retrial of the defendants before a regular, civilian judge rather than before exceptional courts, ensuring that all necessary legal safeguards are provided, including the right to present defense evidence and handle the case with full impartiality and independence, away from security or political interference.
The CFJ emphasizes the urgent need to review anti-terrorism laws, which suffer from vagueness and overly broad language that allows for arbitrary interpretations, resulting in severe human rights violations. These laws must be amended to align with international standards protecting basic rights and freedoms, so they are not used as a political tool to target dissenters.
Finally, the CFJ urges Egypt to reconsider international calls urging the abolition of the death penalty, advocating instead for its replacement with lesser punishments. It also calls on the international community and UN mechanisms to monitor the situation in Egypt and exert pressure on the authorities there to stop politically motivated executions and the ongoing cycle of taking lives without end, while ensuring avenues for redress for the families of those executed following such trials.
