Criminal Justice | ECESR Submits Challenge against “The Cabinet” Case Ruling

Today, Mr. Khaled Ali, attorney at the Court of Cassation and legal counselor at the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), submitted a challenge [1] against the ruling of Cairo Criminal Court in the case known within media circles as “The Cabinet” protest case [2] , The defendants are Alaa Abd-El-Fattah, Mohamed Abd-El-Rahman Nubi and other youth who were involved in the Egyptian revolution.

On March 16, Cairo Criminal Court served two of the defendants a five-year sentence and the other defendants a three-year sentence, followed by an equal period under surveillance for all defendants, in addition to a fine of 100,000 pounds.

The defendants were detained amid a mass protest organized by various political movements and forces on 25 November 2014, the day after the release of law number 107 of 2013 organizing the right to public conferences, motorcades and peaceful protests. The law known as the protest prohibition law was issued under a transitional rule and in the absence of a parliament or any sort of social dialogue. The protesters demanded abolishing the law that targets public space by handing the Ministry of Interior (MoI) complete control over granting the right to protest peacefully, a natural human right.

ECESR strongly objected to the ruling and similar ruling sentencing citizens and political activists to severe prison terms and fines because they exercised their constitutional right to peacefully protest policies, laws or government decisions. On the other hand, many figures of the Mubarak regime were acquitted of corruption and misappropriation of public funds charges. The investigations and testimonies were also contradictory and faulty, not to mention that the defense proved some defendants (such as Alaa Abd-El-Fattah) were not even participating in the protest. Another defendant, Ahmed Abd-El-Rahman, was just passing by and tried to defend female protesters from police harassment in plain clothes.

It is worth mentioning that ECESR is currently challenging the protest law before the Supreme Constitutional Court.

Challenge submitters:

• Mr. Malek Adly, ECESR
• Mr. Mahmoud Belal, ECESR
• Mr. Khaled Ali, Khaled Ali Law Offices

Notes

[1] – (case number 12058 of 2013 Qasr El-Nil Criminal Court, registered under aggregate number 1343 of 2013 Downtown Cairo).

[2]-(sequence number 52 dated 21 April 2015).