Monday, August 31, 2020
Press Release
Today, Monday, FDHRD issued a report of results of trailing of the human right activist Bahey El-Din Hassan, the director of Cairo Center for Human Rights Studies in case no. 5370 of 2020 Dokki Felonies.
The report stated that the facts of the investigation had begun with the Egyptian human rights activist Bahey El-Din Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, in the communications submitted by the Supreme Judicial Council and a lawyer in Alexandria during the month of July 2018, against the background of posts published by human rights activist Bahey El-Din Hassan on the Social media website “Twitter”. This is according to Petition No. 7393 of 2018, Petitions of the Attorney General, and Petition No. 4 of 2018 Petitions of Social Communication
The report indicated that on August 6, 2018, the permission of the Supreme Judicial Council was issued for the Public Prosecution to take investigation and action measures and was indicated by the Attorney General to take the necessary action, against the background of tweets by human rights activist Bahey El-Din Hassan on his account on the social media website “Twitter” that represent an insult to the Judicial authority.
The report also indicated that the Public Prosecution had charged the human rights activist, according to the referral order, with the following charges:
- He created and used a special account on a computer network that aims to commit a crime punishable by law, by creating his own account, which is documented on the social networking site “Twitter” on the international information network “the Internet” called (bahey eldin Hassan) and used it with the aim of committing two crimes of insulting the judiciary and deliberately broadcasting false news at home and abroad. It would disturb public security and harm the public interest, and that was for the purpose of disturbing public order, endangering the safety and security of society, harming the country’s economic position, obstructing the practice of a public authority’s work, and disrupting the provisions of the constitution and laws as indicated in the investigations.
- He deliberately spread, at home and abroad, false news that would disturb public security and harm the public interest, by broadcasting through his authenticated private account called (bahey eldin Hassan) on the social networking site “Twitter” on the Internet, false news that included a defect in the justice system in Egypt, despite having the largest number of laws in the world, has a double standard agent, and judges issue unjust rulings in response to the dictates of the ruler without justice and outside the framework of the law, and that the Egyptian judiciary is miserable responding to the mediation of the American Congress with the political leadership by issuing sentences, and the Public Prosecution’s imprisonment of citizens and defenders of democracy despite its malicious knowledge the accusations leveled against them, and that the rule of law in Egypt is at its lowest point, and people have lost their confidence in justice, and this would have harmed public security, the prestige of the state and its national and economic interests, as indicated in the investigations.
- He insulted the courts and one of the public authorities by publishing phrases (the subject of the previous accusation) on his authenticated private account (bahey eldin Hassan) on the social media site “Twitter” on the international information network which is available to all- bearing insult, contempt and hatred for the courts and the judiciary and the degrading of its prestige as shown in the investigations.
The report stated that on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, the Criminal Court of Circuit (5) of Terrorism sentenced activist Bahy El-Din Hassan in absentia to 15 years in prison on charges of spreading false news, incitement against the state and insulting the judiciary. Case No. 5370 of 2020 Dokki Felonies.
The report concluded that in light of the results of the follow-up of the legal aid team at the Dialogue Forum Foundation:
First: The judgment is in absentia, is not enforceable, and lapses upon appeal.
Second: The case included several communications from a lawyer, as well as a report from the Supreme Judicial Council due to posts by activist Bahey El-Din Hassan, accusations were brought to the judiciary criminalized in the Penal Code.
Third: The investigations continued for more than two years, which means that there were opportunities for the human rights activist’s lawyer to attend and submit memoranda and pleadings, but this did not happen.
