CAIRO: Egyptian authorities transferred the case of Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdel-Fattah from a state security court to a panel of two investigative judges, as investigations into the controversial case continue. The prosecution has accused Abdel-Fattah of having the “intent of committing crimes, assaulting security personnel and using force against them,” on the night of the October 9 Maspero Coptic Christian march, where 27 demonstrators were killed in clashes with the army. Abdel-Fattah denies the allegations. The blogger has been detained for three 15-day periods, pending investigations into his case. The two judges will review the case again on Tuesday. According to his lawyer, the transfer of the case could allow for the blogger to be tried in a civilian court with the right to appeal. Egypt's interim military rulers, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), dismissing any accountability for the violence that took place at Maspero, alleged that Abdel-Fattah had stolen weapons from soldiers and assaulted officers on the night of the protest. He was summoned to an Egyptian military court for questioning on October 30, weeks after the incident. Abdel-Fattah defiantly refused to stand testimony in front of the court on the day of his initial summoning, denying the authority of Egypt's controversial military courts and refusing to acknowledge the charges levied against him. Abdel-Fattah has denied all charges, saying that he was “not part” of the Maspero events, and did not arrive at the scene until 9 PM—well after violence broke out around 6 PM. The prosecution's case rests on two witnesses, al-Aziz Fahmy, a member of Egypt Freedom Party, and journalist Hanan Khawasik. Fahmy claims he saw Abdel-Fattah and a number of his friends, including blogger Wael Abbas and Baha'a Sabr “beat a military soldier, steal his weapon and then Fattah took the weapon and threw it into the Nile, before getting into a taxi.” Abdel-Fattah denied the testimony, saying that Abbas was in Tunisia at the time, attending a bloggers conference. Eyewitnesses have also come forward to speak out against the allegations, which they say are fabricated. The detention of the blogger has been a particular point of contention for those angry with the nation's military rulers. Meanwhile, international human rights groups have chimed in to demand the immediate release of the detained blogger. “Instead of identifying which members of the military were driving the military vehicles that crushed 13 Coptic protesters, the military prosecutor is going after the activists who organized the march,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Abdel-Fattah's detention is a blatant effort to target one of the most vocal critics of the military. The prosecutor's acts further entrench military impunity by failing to build public confidence that there will be a transparent investigation of those responsible for the deaths,” she continued. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/8HjK7 Tags: Alaa Abdel Fattah, featured, SCAF Section: Egypt, Latest News
