Egypt, France airdrop aid to Gaza amid growing humanitarian crisis, global criticism of Israel    Supply minister discusses strengthening cooperation with ITFC    Egypt launches initiative with traders, manufacturers to reduce prices of essential goods    SCZONE chief discusses strengthening maritime, logistics cooperation with Panama    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Egypt reviews health insurance funding mechanism to ensure long-term sustainability    Gaza on verge of famine as war escalates, ceasefire talks stall    Gaza crisis, trade on agenda as Trump hosts Starmer in Scotland    Egyptian president follows up on initiatives to counter extremist thought    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    Sudan's ambassador to Egypt holds reconstruction talks on with Arab League    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi calls for boosting oil & gas investment to ease import burden    EGX to close Thursday for July 23 Revolution holiday    Egypt welcomes 25-nation statement urging end to Gaza war    Sisi sends letter to Nigerian president affirming strategic ties    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    58 days that exposed IMF's contradictions on Egypt    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Egypt's long history of military trials
While not new, military trials in Egypt since the January 25 Revolution have spiked at an alarming rate
Published in Ahram Online on 25 - 09 - 2011

Since Egypt's January 25 Revolution, growing numbers of political activists, as well as alleged criminals, have been referred for trial before military courts, with lawyer Adel Ramadan telling the international NGO Human Rights Watch recently that over 5,000 people had been sentenced by such courts between the beginning of February and the middle of March alone.
The courts often handle large groups of defendants at once, with groups of five to 30 people receiving trials that can last between 20 and 40 minutes each.
Such procedures raise questions about the kind of justice being offered by military courts, Ramadan said, as well as about why Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has been dragging its feet over the civil trials of leading members of the ousted Mubarak regime.
Since military trials came to light, nearly 100,000 activists have voiced their opposition to them on Facebook and Twitter. While this number may be small compared to Egypt's overall population, the silent majority is unlikely to support such trials either, and it has certainly failed to turn out in defence of the ousted regime.
The first military trials of civilians in modern Egyptian history took place in 1954, when members of the Muslim Brotherhood were accused of trying to assassinate former President Gamal Abdel-Nasser in Alexandria.
Seven Brotherhood members were given the death sentence on that occasion: Mahmoud Abdel-Latif, Youssef Talaat, Ibrahim El-Tayeb, Hendawi Duweir, Mohamed Farghali, Abdel-Qader Ouda and Hassan El-Hodeibi, though the latter's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
The court was presided over by members of the Free Officers group that had taken power in the 1952 Revolution, with Salah Salem, Hussein El-Shafei and Anwar El-Sadat serving as judges.
It took the military court just under one month to hand down various prison sentences to other Brotherhood members. Among those sentenced to life imprisonment was Mohamed Mahdi Akef, a future Brotherhood guide, who spent 20 years in prison before his release in 1974.
A second round of military trials took place in 1965, when hundreds of Brotherhood followers were accused of trying to revive the then banned organisation.
One of the main defendants was the writer and intellectual Sayed Qotb, who was sentenced to death along with Youssef Hawash and Abdel-Fattah Ismail. Seven others received death sentences that were later commuted to life imprisonment.
Members of the Brotherhood also received military trials under former president Mubarak's rule in January 1995, when 94 Brotherhood followers were prosecuted for "attempting to revive a banned group".
Of these, 34 received sentences of between three and five years in prison, including Essam El-Erian and Ibrahim El-Zaafarani, and 15 were acquitted.
In November 1995, Brotherhood members faced a military court for the second time, when 33 received sentences of between three and five years in prison and 13 were acquitted. A further trial was held in the same month, in which two Brotherhood members received three to five years in prison and a third defendant was acquitted.
In 1996, 13 members of the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested in connection with the so-called Wasat Party case, among them former supreme guide Mohamed Mahdi Akef. A military court handed down sentences of between three and five years in prison against eight defendants, including Akef, acquitting five others.
In a further case in 1999, 20 Brotherhood members were referred for military trial, with 15 of them receiving prison sentences in 2000 and five being acquitted.
In 2002, 22 Brotherhood members, including several university professors, were referred for military trial, and 15 of these, including Mohamed Ali Beshr, current supreme guide Mohamed Badie, and lawyer Mokhtar Nouh, received prison sentences. Seven were acquitted.
In 2007 and 2008, a further trial of Brotherhood members took place, with 40 members of the organisation, including deputy guide Khayrat El-Shater, facing charges of money laundering and financing a "banned group."
It took a military court more than a year to hand down a verdict, with the court sentencing 25 to between three and five years in prison and acquitting 15 others. These trials took place under emergency law, which has been in force since 1981.
The military trials that have taken place since Egypt's January 25 Revolution have been mostly for those arrested during public disturbances, with defendants accused of thuggery and disturbing the peace.
However, the large number of defendants suggests that some have been arrested simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and political activists have been particularly vulnerable to arrest.
On 1 March this year, the SCAF added an amendment to the country's penal code that adds the crime of "thuggery" to those mentioned in Article 375 of the code.
This is described as any "show of force threatening harm against the victim with the aim of intimidating him, threatening him with material or moral harm, or harming his property."
Since this crime is included in the penal code, it can be invoked before regular civilian courts, which could go some way towards satisfying the demands of human rights groups and serving the cause of justice.


Clic here to read the story from its source.