Concerns are increasing over the continued detention of political detainees in Egypt, who have been held for long periods without providing material evidence to support the charges raised against them. Such arbitrary detention raises questions over the integrity of legal procedures and their commitment to international standards of a fair trial.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution in Egypt investigated 69 detainees in three different political cases, including activist Aya Kamal El-Din, who is being held in Qanater Women’s Prison, and decided to renew their detention.
This decision came after a long suspension of investigations, specifically Case No. 1983 of 2021, in which the detention of detainees is routinely renewed without providing new evidence or conducting additional investigations since 2021.
Some detainees in these cases had previously been released and summoned again to complete the investigations, as new sessions were scheduled next week.
Human rights sources reported that the investigations were based on National Security investigations to direct charges and continue the pretrial detention decisions. The defence believes that these investigations are “not supported by tangible material evidence,” which makes the continued detention arbitrary since it lacks legal justification.
The charges against the detainees in the three cases include “joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, misusing social media, and financing a banned group,” which are accusations that the regime has routinely used as a pretext to persecute its opponents.
The continued detention of activist Aya Kamal El-Din and nearly 70 detainees in Egypt reflects a flagrant violation of human rights, especially to the right to a fair trial and speedy legal procedures, as the use of pretrial detention as a means of restricting the freedom of individuals without tangible material evidence constitutes a violation of the principle of “the defendant is innocent until proven guilty.”
The Supreme State Security Prosecution’s reliance on National Security investigations alone to bring charges and continue pretrial detention decisions constitutes a legal violation, especially if these investigations are not supported by real evidence to prove the charges.
The absence of material evidence renders these procedures devoid of fair legal basis, which is inconsistent with international human rights principles. The Egyptian authorities must release all detainees who are being held without clear charges or tangible evidence, while stressing the need to ensure the independence of the judiciary and conducting fair and independent investigations, and put an end to the use of prolonged pretrial detention, which contradicts international standards for fair trial and exposes detainees to ongoing violations in the absence of fair legal procedures.
