Muslim Brotherhood Behind Bars…June’s Black Toll

The month of June 2009 has witnessed an aggravated crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members as twenty-six Brotherhood members and leaders were detained.
Detentions of thirty-four were extended and a further thirty-four were acquitted by court rulings however, the Interior Ministry challenged these court rulings and issued other arrest warrants against them. Eighteen brothers were released.
 
This month has also witnessed  an escalation in security which was described as the most violent this year. The continued  crackdown campaigns included the arrest of two Muslim Brotherhood Executive Bureau members: Dr. Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh and Dr. Mahmoud Hussein. Several other  chairmen of Brotherhood administrative offices in a number of Upper Egyptian governorates were also detained.
 
The longest serving Brotherhood detainee is engineer Al Sayed Hozayen, a former member of the People”s Assembly (lower chamber of Egyptian parliament) and a Brotherhood leader in the Egyptian Delta governorate of Sharqiya. The State Security Investigations (SSI) at Sharqiya arrested him against the backdrop of Gaza incidents last February, although the Cairo state security prosecution ordered his release last June, 10th.
 
Fierce campaigns
 
These crackdowns were capped by two fierce campaigns: The first led to the arresting of  Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, a member of the Executive Office, who was among a group of  elevenMuslim Brotherhood leaders on  June 19 when security services raided a house of one of them while they were together. Later, Qina prosecution issued fifteen day detaining decision against them accusing them of the same list of charges directed to all Muslim Brotherhood detainees.
 
This group  also includes:
 
Hammam Ali Youssef, chairman of the administrative office of Suhaj”s Muslim Brotherhood,
Dr. Mohamed Kamal, a professor of  ENT  at Asyut University and  chairman of the administrative office of Asyut “s Muslim Brotherhood.
Dr. Ali Ezzuddin Thabet, an ophthalmology professor at Asyut University
Seif Al-Din Maghrabi,  chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood”s administrative office in Qina
Ammar Hassan Hanafi, a senior inspector at Luxor Antiquities Authority
Khalafallah Bahnasawi, an employee in the Ministry of Education
Abdullah Makhlouf, an employee at Kima factory in Aswan
Sayed Abdullah, an employee at Daewa Schools in Suhaj
Jamal Ali Salim
Dr. Khaled Al Saeh.
 
Qina prosecution rejected the defense lawyer”s request of transfering six detainees from Qina public prison or releasing them for health reasons as they suffered from various illnesses as the Qina public prison lacks even the barest of  conditions suitable for human beings.
 
The second campaign started  28th June and included the detention of six Brotherhood leaders topped by Dr. Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, a member of the Executive Office and the Secretary-General of the Arab Doctors” Union , and five other Muslim Brotherhood leaders. These included
Dr. Jamal Abdul Salam, chairman of the relief committee of the Doctors” Union and the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in the 2005 parliamentary elections,
Reda Fahmi from North Cairo
Abdul Rahman Al-Gamal, Gharbiya, an employee at the Ministry of Education
Dr. Osama Solaiman from Giza
Ali Ali Al Hadidi from Port Said .
The Higher State Security Prosecution ordered there detention for a a further fifteen days pending trial.
                                   
Meanwhile, the prosecution released consultant Dr. Fathi Lashin, a consulting expert in financial and Sharia dealings and a former consultant at the Ministry of Justice where he was among the detainees. He was released for health reasons after the security forces seized more than half a million pounds from his house.
 
Challenging court rulings
 
On June 30th, the Ministry of Interior challenged the court ruling of the release of thirteen Brotherhood detainees and issued  arrest warrants for
Dr. Osama Nasruddin, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood Executive Office
Dr. Hossam Abu Bakr, chairman of the East Cairo “s Muslim Brotherhood administrative office
Dr. Ibrahim Mostafa,
Eng. Hisham Saqr, Cairo
Ashraf Abdul Samie,
Dr. Mohamed Saad Eliwa, Giza
Ali Abd Al-Fattah,
Dr. Essam Al-Haddad, Alexandria ,
Mohamed Al Azabawi
Mahmoud Al-Barah, Gharbiya
Al Husseini Mohamed al-Shami,
Eng. Hassan Shaalan, Dakahlia,
Islamic writer Walid Shalabi, Sharqiya,
This reveals that three Muslim Brotherhood  from the Executive Office are behind bars this month.
 
During this month of June, the Interior Ministry continued challenging court rulings. On 21st June, it issued arrest warrants against Dr. Hisham Al Souli and Alaa Al Dib, both are Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Ismailia and sent them to Wadi Al-Natrun prison. It also issued other arrest warrants against Dr. Adel Mostafa and Said Mahmoud, both are Muslim Brotherhood leaders in North Sinai Governorate and ordered their transferal to Burj Al-Arab prison, although Ismailia Criminal Court issued a ruling ordering their release on June, 11th.
 
To send a message of intimidation to citizens, the Interior Ministry issued  June 14 the arrest warrants for seven Muslim Brotherhood members from Abu Kabeer, Sharqiya Governorate, and ordered their transfer to Wadi Al-Natrun Prison after the prosecution had appealed to the Zagazig Criminal Court”s  ruling of releasing them on Monday 8 June. These detainees included
Atef Mohamed Ibrahim, a businessman and a conventional arbitrator,
Said Mohamed Gabal, agronomist and conventional arbitrator,
Salah Al Didamouni Shahin, a businessman,
Ahmed Al-Sibaei Singer, a merchant
Mohamed Hassan, an employee at telecom
Ali Al Fanjari, a plumber
Salah Abdul Fattah then Nisha, owner of an embroidery workshop.
 
On 24th June, the Muslim Brotherhood lawyers issued a complaint against the decision in late May of the detention of Dr. Amir Bassam, a Muslim Brotherhood leader in Sharqiya Governorate, after he was detained for more than a week in Bilbeis police station, although the Higher State Security Prosecution ordered his release. A court session is yet to be set to hear the complaint.
The State Security Police in Sharqiya is still detaining eng. Al Sayed Hozayena former member of the People”s Assembly and a Muslim Brotherhood leader in Sharqiya Governorate. He was detained during the Gaza incidents last February although Cairo state security prosecution ordered his release last June 10th.
 
Also, the State Security Police in Monoufia Governate is still detaining nine Muslim Brotherhood leaders on its premises in the city of Shibin Al Kawm although Shibin Al Kawm Appeals Court ordered their release on 25 June after they were arrested on Wednesday at dawn on the 17th of June in a wide scale raid: Detainees included
Mohamed Al Saqqa, a general manager in the Labour Force Department,
Dr. Yasser Hisheikal, PhD in psychology
Gamal Shaaban, a high school teacher, Shibin Al Kawm,
Labib Al Shennawi, manager of the governorate”s branch of the Engineers Syndicate
Emad Rashed, an accountant in the Engineers Syndicate,
Ashraf Hilal, a merchant,
Helmi Abul Nasr, an instructor at the Ministry of Education,
Sobhi Mousa Abdullah, a high school instructor,
Ahmed Amer.
 
In Sharqiya, the Zagazig prosecution ordered the detention on 27th June of nine top Muslim Brotherhood members and leaders imprisoned after they were rounded up on Friday morning 25th June for fifteen days on charges repeatedly directed against the movement  in the barbaric campaigns on the group:
Salah Abdou Mohamed
Osama Ibrahim Ashour
Maysara Mohamed Mahmoud
Nafei Mohamed Mansour
Mohamed Al Sayed Imbabi, and Mohamed Al Saeed Al Sherif,
Amr Ezzat,
Ahmed Mohamed Solaiman,
Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sayyed Khalil.
 
The release
 
On 23rd June, the Higher State Security Prosecution in Cairo released four Muslim Brotherhood labor leaders detained after  raids were waged last 25 April: The brothers were
Mohamed Youssef Ahmed, a merchant in Bahtim
Khaled Mahmoud Al-Azhari
Abdul Sayyed Ibrahim
Eng. Maher Solaiman.
 
It also released six Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Al Fayum Governate detained during raids on their houses last 15 April:
Dr. Mohamed Mikkawi, a doctor,
Dr. Mohammed Fathi, a pharmacist,
Rabie Samir, a teacher,
Hanafi Mahmoud, a teacher,
Ahmed Al Sayed Shahat, a teacher
Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Badr, a veterinarian.
On 29 June, North Cairo Criminal Court upheld the Higher State Security Prosecution”s decision of releasing six Muslim Brotherhood governorate leaders from a group of nineteen leaders detained in raids on their houses last March 3rd:
 
Khaled Al Sayed Al Beltagi, Cairo ,
Adel Abdul Rahim Fouad, Giza
Abdul Mohsen Abdul Hamid Al Qamhawi, Dakahlia,
Abdul Ati Hawwash Al Nadri, Monofiya,
Mohamed Taha Wahdan, the deputy chairman of the administrative office of Ismailia Muslim Brotherhood
Ayman Mahmoud Al Shoura, Gharbiya.
However, the ruling hasn”t been implemented yet.
 
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry released for Jamal Abdul Mawjoud Youssef ( Cairo ), and Khaled Abdul Hamid Morsi ( Alexandria ) attaining to health reasons.
 
Prolonging Detention
 
On June 23rd, the Higher State Security Prosecution extended the detention of eleven of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders from Al Fayyum:
Shaban Eweis, principal of Al Farouk private school,
Mohamed Sayed Abdul Rahim, an employee,
Mohamed Ali Ismail, Arabic teacher,
Atef Ghiriani, school principal
Dr. Ahmed Mohsen,
Omar Youssef, an administrative manager at Al Fayyum Doctors” Union
Anwar Shaban, an employee at the ministry of endowments,
Osama Saleh, a student,
Ali Sayed Omran,
Taha Taha,
Ahmed Ibrahim Bayyoumi, an accountant.
 
In the governorate of Beheira, Damanhur prosecution decided on 30th June to prolong the detention of eng. Osama Solaiman,  one of the governorate”s detained twenty-five Muslim Brotherhood leaders for fifteen more days pending trial number of 4916 of  2009.
These detained Muslim Brotherhood leaders include Fares Barakat who was thrown by the state security officer Naji Al-Gammal from the fourth floor causing fractions all over his body and tears in most of . his innards. He has recently undergone  surgery on his leg in Smouha Medical Center in the coastal governorate of Alexandria .
 
The military tribunals
 
On 16 June, the Administrative Court set sessions for next July 7th, 12th, to issue rulings on releasing on parole thirteen Muslim Brotherhood leaders convicted in the last martial court hearing.  
  These included Dr. Mohamed Ali Beshr, a professor in the Faculty of Engineering, and member of the Muslim Brotherhood Executive Office, and  former Secretary-General of the Engineers Syndicate
Dr. Farid Ali Ahmed Galbat, a professor of international law in the Faculty of Sharia and Law at Al-Azhar University
Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed Mohamed Abu Zeid, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University
Eng. Ayman Ahmed Abdul Ghani Hassanein, a civil engineer at the Arab Contractors Company
Dr. Salah Al Desouki Amer Morad, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine Al-Azhar University,
Dr. Essam Abdul Mohsen Afifi Mohamed, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University
Eng. Mamdouh Ahmed Abdul Moeti Al Husseini, a freelance engineer,
Sayed Maarouf Abul Yazid Musbih, an accountant at Omar Effendi company,
Fathi Mohamed Baghdadi Ali, a maths teacher,
Mostafa Mohamed Mohamed Mahmoud Salem, a legal accountant,
Eng. Medhat Al-Haddad, a businessman,
Dr. Essam Hashish, a professor at Cairo Faculty of Engineering, and
Dr. Diaa Farahat, a businessman