CAIRO: The trial of the three men accused of killing six Copts and one Muslim guard in the drive-by shootings in Nagaa Hammadi on Christmas Eve last year, has been postponed to March 20 after chaos ruled the court room Saturday. The decision came only 35 minutes into the first hearing at the emergency State Security Court in Qena, southern Egypt, when tension broke out between the defense team and the victims lawyers. The shootings also left nine injured. The prosecutor called for the maximum sentence for the three defendants, Mohamed Ahmed Hassan El Kamuni, Qurashi Abol Haggag Mohamed Ali and Hendawy El-Sayed, all of whom pleaded not guilty. Former head of the lawyer s syndicate Sameh Ashour, one of the victims lawyers, told Daily News Egypt that his defense team has agreed to the prosecution s decision to call for the maximum sentence. We are seeking fair retribution for the lives of innocent victims, said Ashour. Tension struck when Osama Abdel Fatah, El-Sayed's lawyer asked the court to bring in Coptic Bishop Anba Kirolos for testimony since he is considered an eye witness, a request to which the victims lawyers objected. According to church lawyer Ramsis El-Naggar, Anba Kirolos is a religious figure that should not be required to testify in court. We presented the court with evidence to prove that Anba Kirolos has already testified at the prosecution office voluntarily, El-Naggar told Daily News Egypt. Tension further peaked when lawyer Naguib Ghobrial requested the court call upon People's Assembly Speaker Ahmed Fathy Sorour to testify. I called for [Ahmed] Fathy Sorour s testimony because he has previously stated that he knows the person who incited the shootings, which means that the Parliament Speaker has information that is related to the trial, Ghobrial said. I presented the court with original newspaper articles and copies of Sorour s comments which are proof that he has information that the court has the right to know, added Ghobrial, who filed the official request to the Prosecutor General. El-Kamuni, Ali and El-Sayed were escorted into the session hand-cuffed and sporting white prison uniforms indicating that they are pending trial procedures. An emergency State Security Court is an exceptional tribunal created under the emergency law to hear certain categories of offences pursuant to the decision of the public prosecution office. Under this court, the victims lawyers are unable to file for compensation. Instead, a new case has to be initiated in a civil court to request financial compensation for the victims families. Outside the court room, lawyers and the media were faced with heavy security, blocking the courthouse with barricades and armored vehicles, preventing would-be attendants from entering. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) accused the security forces of turning the court into a military site , pointing to the fact that lawyers and journalists trying to attend the hearing were searched three times on their way in. In addition, he pointed to rumors that claimed that security forces were going to place Nagaa Hammadi under siege to prevent its residents from reaching the court . This was why the relatives of the victims were absent from the trial, despite the presence of El-Kamuni s brother and El-Sayed's father.
