The case no. 277 for the year 2019 National Security, known in the media as Allahomma Thawra, began January 2019 in parallel with the fifth memory of the 25th of January revolution. The case includes 54 defendants, 13 of whom are girls and women from Cairo, Giza, Sharkeya, Alexandria, and Qalyobya governorates. These women were subjected to enforced disappearance for up to four months and then appeared before National Security prosecution in January 2019.
National security prosecution accused the defendants of joining and funding a terrorist group called “Allahomma Thawra” and using social media platforms to disseminate terrorist ideas. According to Ministry of Interior, defendants have established an online entity under the name of “Allahomma thawra” to carry out their terrorist plans in order to incite chaos in the country. MOI claims that this entity includes Muslim Brotherhood members and receives funds from foreign bodies. However, MOI didn’t indicate the nature of the alleged terrorist plans nor identified individuals and foreign entities that fund this plan.
The events of the case indicate that these women case subjected to prolonged enforced disappearance where they were tortured and treated with cruelty. The case appeared before National Security prosecution by the end of January 2019 whereas families and defendants state that they were arrested in September and October 2019; almost three months before what MOI claims to be the date of arrest. During that period, detainees were kept in State Security headquarters, which are unofficial detention facilities, without referring them to prosecution, informing their families of their whereabouts, or allowing them to communicate with outside world. Majority of defendants reported before prosecution that they were tortured during their enforced disappearance in National Security headquarters. Torture varied from beating, electrocution, harassment, threatening
They were also deprived from their right to legal representation and were interrogated in absence of their lawyers. After the 12 defendants forcibly disappeared for four months where they were not allowed to communicate their lawyers and were tortured to confess they were brought before the prosecution by the end of January to be interrogated in absence of attorney which is a clear violation of their right to legal representation. Lawyers complain that national security prosecution prohibited them from accessing case documents which include arrest warrants and investigation records. They were also not allowed to review accusations except verbally which limits their knowledge of the grounds of accusations and the supporting evidence.