The Supreme State Security Prosecution in Egypt referred lawyer Osama Mohamed Morsi, son of the late President Mohamed Morsi, human rights lawyer Osama Bayoumi, and about 70 others, including girls, to criminal trial, in a new case with the same charges they have been already tried for before. Human rights activists described this move as an escalation of the ongoing violations against political detainees in the Egypt.
This referral is part of the ongoing “judicial rotation”, where detainees are facing the same charges they been tried for and release. This practice was condemned by international human rights organisations, which is a way for keeping political opponents in arbitrary detention for as long as possible, without fair trials or impartial legal procedures.
This is Osama Mohamed Morsi’s second case since his arrest in December 2016. He had previously been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of “inciting violence,” a charge the Egyptian regime uses as a pretext to arrest and persecute its opponents.
Osama Morsi was due to complete his sentence next year, but the authorities included him in a new case, despite the fact that he has been detained for more than seven years and is completely banned from visiting or communicating with his family or lawyer.
As for human rights lawyer Osama Bayoumi, one of the most prominent defenders of the rights of political detainees in Egypt, he was arrested in January 2022 after his home was raided. Then he was subjected to enforced disappearance before appearing before the prosecution, which charged him with “joining a terrorist group” and “spreading false news,” charges that are common against human rights activists and political opponents in the country.
Despite Bayoumi being tried in a previous case, he was involved again in the new case.
This referral is part of a broader crackdown on political detainees, with hundreds of political opponents and activists facing similar scenarios of charges in new cases immediately after release orders are issued. The new case included detainees who had previously received release orders in Case No. 1530 of 2019, Supreme State Security, but were redetaied and returned to pretrial detention again.
The practices of the Egyptian regime reflect a systematic use of the judiciary to settle political scores, as detainees are charged with vague charges, such as “joining a banned group,” “financing terrorism,” and “spreading false news,” without clear evidence or fair trials.
The continuation of these security policies constitutes a flagrant violation of basic rights and reinforces the climate of repression within Egypt, at a time when the country is witnessing increasing international criticism regarding the human rights situation and the misuse of laws to silence voices and suppress political freedoms.
