The Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR) has monitored, since the beginning of the current week, a state of heightened anger and tension during criminal trial sessions held at the Badr Criminal Court, amid growing demands by a number of defendants to benefit from the provisions of the new Code of Criminal Procedure and to be released after prolonged periods of pretrial detention.
The tension inside the courtrooms was reflected in the sessions held on Saturday and Sunday, 26 and 27 September, when a number of defendants shouted from inside the defendants’ cages and repeatedly banged forcefully on the cages in protest, to draw attention, and to obstruct the surveillance cameras installed inside them.
Tensions escalated further on Monday, 28 September, when a number of defendants attempted to break the cameras inside the cage and repeatedly banged forcefully on the glass. In response, Judge Wagdy Abdel Moneim allowed three defendants to leave the cage, warning them that continued banging could result in their being sentenced to imprisonment on charges of contempt of court.
The defendants attempted to use their time outside the cage to address the court on behalf of the other defendants. They spoke about the prolonged periods of their pretrial detention and called for the provisions of the new Code of Criminal Procedure to be applied in a manner that would allow them to be released from detention. However, the judge refused to hear their demands and ordered them back into the defendants’ cage.
The defendant Ziad Tarek Mostafa Mohamed, who is detained pending Case No. 1958 of 2022, continued banging on the cage. This prompted the judge to have him removed from the cage and sentence him to three years in prison on charges of contempt of court.
The lawyers attempted to object to the ruling and asked the judge to take into account the harsh circumstances faced by the defendants, as well as the prolonged periods of their pretrial detention. However, the judge insisted on maintaining the sentence against the defendant.
These incidents reflect growing tensions during the trial sessions, amid the defendants’ and lawyers’ anticipation of the implications of the implementation of the new Code of Criminal Procedure, particularly with regard to the legal limits on pretrial detention and the possibility of releasing detainees whose periods of pretrial detention have exceeded the limits established by law.