Al-Munib Police Station Fire

Case Summary:

The Supreme State Security Prosecution referred the case on August 30, 2021, to the Emergency State Security Criminal Court, after more than three years of pre-trial detention of the accused. The first trial session was on November 24, 2021, where the court questioned the defendants about the charges against them and recorded the details of the case exhibits, which included printed materials, an electronic disc, and a USB flash drive. The defendants’ lawyers requested a postponement of the trial to review a copy of the case and to record the inability of the defendants to visit their families due to COVID-19 procedures in prisons. 

The prosecution charged the defendants with several accusations, including leading a terrorist group (the Muslim Brotherhood) that tried to seize power through force and terrorism. Some defendants were also accused of joining a terrorist group, funding it, preparing and training individuals on weapons, possessing weapons and ammunition intended for use in activities that disturb public security, receiving military training, possessing printed materials prepared for distribution, broadcasting false news domestically and abroad in a television interview on satellite channels, and promoting the use of force and violence on Al Jazeera channels.” 

Description of the Session Events: 

On February 26, 2022, the ‘Egyptian Front for Human Rights’ observed the convening of the Third Terrorist Felonies Circuit, as an Emergency State Security Court, at the Police Academy in Tora, chaired by Judge Mohamed Hamad, with members Judges Wagdi Abdel Moneim and Ali Amara. The court was to try Dr. Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, Mohamed El-Qassas, Mahmoud Hussein, and 23 others, all of whom attended from their detention. The defense for the accused Moaz Najah Mansour El-Sharqawi, number fifteen in the referral decision, presented their argument. 

At the end of the defense’s argument, the circuit objected to the defense raising precautionary requests to challenge the constitutionality of some articles of the referral decision, indicating the circuit’s clear intent to infringe upon the defense’s right to present its arguments. A heated argument ensued between the defense and the president of the circuit, with several lawyers joining to affirm the defense’s right to present any arguments according to the law, and that the court has the right to respond to the arguments in the judgment’s rationale. The court decided to postpone to today’s session to hear the defense of the second defendant, Mr. Mahmoud Ezzat Ibrahim Issa.