Egypt: Court Refuses to Acquit Journalists in Raba’a Operation Room Case in Violation of UN Decision

Egypt: Court Refuses to Acquit all Journalists in Raba’a Operation Room Case in Violation of UN Decision

On 12 May 2017, Alkarama sent urgent appeals to the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression (SRFRDX) and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) concerning the situation of the nine journalists prosecuted in the “Raba’a Operations Room” mass trial. On 27 April 2017, Alkarama had already sent urgent appeals to the SRFRDX and the WGAD requesting them to urge the Egyptian authorities to release all nine journalists. Following their final judgement, handed over on 8 May 2017, five of them were acquitted while four were sentenced to five years imprisonment and remain arbitrarily detained at the Al Aqrab prison in particularly appalling conditions.

Background of the case

Abdullah Ahmed Mohammed Ismail Alfakharany, Samhy Mostafa Ahmed Abdulalim, Mohamed Mohamed Aladili, Waleed Abdulraoof Shalaby, Ahmed Sabii, Youssouf Talat Mahmoud Mahmoud Abdulkarim, Hani Salheddin, Abdo Dasouki and Mosaad Albarbary were prosecuted in a case called the “Raba’a Operations Room” in reference to the violent dispersal of peaceful protesters who were organising a sit-in in the Raba’a Al Adawyya Square on 14 August 2013 against the military takeover. The indiscriminate use of fire bullets into the crowd of protesters caused the death of over 1,150 peaceful protesters and was characterised as a crime against humanity by several organisations which investigated and documented the violations, including Alkarama and  Human Rights Watch.

All journalists were arrested between August 2013 and April 2014, either after interviewing witnesses and survivors of the violent dispersal, or because they had been covering the events. They were charged with “disturbing peace”, “spreading false information”, “spreading chaos” and of having formed “an operation room to the Muslim Brotherhood to defy the government” – i.e. the so-called “Raba’a Operations Room”.

Final decision of 8 May 2017

On 8 May 2017, the nine journalists were brought before the Criminal Court of Cairo in view of their final judgement in the re-trial of the “Raba’a Operation Room” case. Subsequently, Hani Salheddin, Waleed Shalaby, Mosaad Albarbary, Abdo Dasouki and Ahmed Sabii were acquitted of all charges. However, the judge decided to sentence Abdullah Alfakharany, Samhy Abdulalim, Mohamed Aladili, Youssouf Talat Abdulkarim to five years imprisonment based on the above-mentioned charges; in violation of WGAD Opinion No. 7/2016 of 19 April 2016, which considered that their detention was arbitrary and called for their immediate release. Today, these four journalists are detained at the Al Aqrab prison in the Cairo governorate, in appalling conditions and are regularly subjected to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.

“We are relieved by the decision to acquit four of the journalists,” said Radidja Nemar, Regional Legal Officer for North Africa at Alkarama. “However, this decision should have been the same for all nine of them as required by Egypt’s international obligations. It shows that the Egyptian authorities are not yet committed to put a definitive end to the severe violations to fundamental rights and freedoms, which are still carried out on a daily basis in order to silence all forms of criticism against the authorities,” she added.

In light of the above information, Alkarama solicited the SRFRDX and the WGAD’s urgent intervention with the Egyptian authorities to urge them to release the four remaining journalists and implement WGAD Opinion No.7/2016. Alkarama further requested that Egypt, as a member of the Human Rights Council, be reminded to respect the fundamental human rights of its citizens and to end the practice of arbitrary arrest, detention and unfair trial targeting journalists and peaceful political opponents.

For more information or an interview, please contact media@alkarama.org (Dir: +41 22 734 1008).