- EGYPT
- June 4, 2015
- 4 minutes read
Illegitimate Coup Regime in Egypt: 122 Death Sentences, 50 NGOs Dissolved in May 2015
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) issued its eleventh report documenting the democratic process in Egypt during the month of May 2015.
In its report, ANHRI said that coup authorities continued to give free rein to its security forces to deal with political issues, with security-oriented solutions given priority over all other options.
ANHRI highlighted the continuation of mass death sentences, affirming that in the month of May 2015, at least 122 citizens were sentenced to death, and 53 state terrorism operations were executed in the provinces, resulting in the killing of 17, and wounding 33; also 11 security operations targeted supposed "extremist areas" resulting in the death of 45 and the arrest of 75.
The report pointed that the violations against media freedoms amounted to 12 cases of physical attacks, interrogations, injunctions, bans and confiscations.
The month of May 2015 saw 68 protest marches, of which 51 were organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Anti-Coup Pro-Legitimacy National Alliance, and included 7 labor and social rallies, 6 student demonstrations, while 4 were organized by other civil and democratic groups.
In May, there were also 20 trials in civil and military courts, including 3 of Mubarak regime officials, and 10 of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Anti-Coup Alliance, 2 trials for other civil and democratic groups, and 2 military trials for civilians, which resulted in 15 convictions and four acquittals.
The most significant Muslim Brotherhood trials are known in the media as "Communicating with Qatar", Tabein Police Station storming, Beni Suef clashes, Helwan Police Station storming, Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis Group, Muslim Brotherhood special committees, and Maspero clashes. Trials of other civil groups included: the Cabinet building clashes and the trial of 18 employees of the Library of Alexandria, headed by the late political activist Mohamed Yousry Salama.
In May 2015, the junta-appointed judiciary made 15 convictions, and 4 acquittals, involving various political forces. Those included 8 convictions against the Muslim Brotherhood, one conviction by a military court, and two against Mubarak regime officials.
Final death sentences have been confirmed for 16 people, after referral to the Grand Mufti (usually a rubber-stamp process), while 106 had their cases referred to the Grand Mufti for final confirmation.
The report pointed that on May 30, Ghada Wali, the coup regime’s Minister of Social Solidarity, issued a decision to dissolve 50 NGOs in 5 provinces (23 in Beheira, 14 in Fayoum, 9 in Beni Suef, 3 in Gharbiya, and one in Cairo), for allegedly belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood.
