The Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners Campaign

Hand in Hand ... Egypt without Torture

  Cairo: 27/4/2004
 

HRAAP appeals to the Excellency of the president to ratify the ruling of the military court to condemn Ahmed Hussein Egaiza and sentencing him to 25 years in prison, confirming the right of the citizen to have a fair trial before his assigned judge, and appeals also to abolish all exceptional courts and giving up trying condemned before military courts

            Today, the military court issued its ruling in case No. 8/1998 criminals of the Attorney General to condemn Ahmed Hussein Egaiza and sentencing him to 25 years in prison as a result of what is attributed to him like affiliating and leading a group unlikely the constitution and his innocence in the second accusation that is participating in criminal agreement.

            The incidents began when the Swedish government expelled Ahmed Hussein Mustafa Egaiza to Egypt according to the request of the Egyptian government because of issuing a ruling against him in absentia to be imprisoned for 25 years in prison which issued in 18/4/1999 accusing him of affiliating to a group unlike to the constitution and participating in a criminal agreement, the Egyptian government undertook to the Swedish government to treat this citizen in a good way as stated legally.

            In spite of this commitment, the association received many complaints form the family of this citizen last one was in past March when his family complained of disability to visit him as usual in detention in reception of Tura prison in addition to receiving information tells shifting him to Abu-Za'bal prison and then to prison of intensive guarding, then finally they have been told that he is in prison of intensive guarding in Abu-Za'bal and the visit is not allowed because of his non-existent file. On the other hand, his family received information tells that their son is detained incommunicado in Abu-Za'bal prison and he went on a hanger strike as a result of maltreatment. Accordingly, the association submitted many grievances to the Attorney General and the Ministry of interior regarding these complaints.

            The aforementioned stayed in detention till the decision of retrying him before a military court was issued, the first session was set on 20/4/2004, where the judge decided to postpone the case to be judged in today's session.

            The association asserts that suspects have guarantees and rights during their trial cannot be ignored or reduced and according to that we confirm that trying citizens before exceptional courts especially before their assigned judge, and practice his recognized guarantees in this respect. The first one of these guarantees is to allow him sufficient time and chance to defend himself, but on the contrary in these cases we see that this guarantee is not available and that is very clear in this trial where it did not take more than 7 days violating violently the right to defense. On the other hand it is not allowed to convicted to appeal the issued ruling before any higher judicial body and the ruling is final as soon as it was ratified by the president.

            Towards this ruling HRAAP requests Mr. President not to ratify it, confirming the right of any citizen to get a fair trial and appeals to him to abolish all exceptional courts and giving up trying condemned before military courts.   

The Human Rights Association for the Assistance of prisoners