Egypt’s Highest Court Cancels Military Trials For MB Detainees

In a historic ruling, Egypt’s administrative Court accepted on Tuesday an appeal filed by 33 Muslim Brotherhood members and more than 100 of their family members against the President’s order to refere them MB detainees to a military court. The court ruled to cancel the President’s decision and ordered the immediate release of all detainees and compensating them for their suffering.
 
The detainees have already been put to trial before the martial court and the first session was held on April 26th and was adjourned till June 3rd. The defence team did not attend the trail in protest against failure to notify them of the session date. The date of the first session was set just after Cairo Criminal Court ordered the release of the detainees. Thirty two Egyptian legal organizations called on Muslim Brotherhood to boycott the military trial to protest referral of civilians to a martial court.
 
Zahraa Al-Shater, daughter of Muslim Brotherhood Second Vice Chairman Khairat Al-Shater and wife of Engineer Ayman Abdel Ghani who was also facing a trial before the military court, expressed her happiness, describing the ruling as historic and proves that Egyptian judiciary is the resort and refuge in face of the oppressive Egyptian regime.
 
In statements to Ikhwanweb, following the ruling, Zahraa said that this ruling as well as other rulings passed by the fair Egyptian judiciary on the immediate release of Al-Shater and other detainees held in this case, asserted that Engineer Al-Shater’s case is politically motivated to settle accounts between the Egyptian regime and the Muslim Brotherhood.
 
Zahraa voiced concern that the Ministry of Interior might not execute the ruling as usual and would attempt to dodge it.
 
The court decision is the first in Egypt’s history where  president’s decision has been canceled. The decision is obligatory as of the date of its issuance even if it is contested, he said, adding that the detainees should be immediately released and should be notified with the ruling issued now.