Egypt’s Prosecution Appeals Release of Detainee After 2 Years Jail Without Trial

Nourhan Magdi (TCP) : The East Cairo Prosecution has appealed the release of Mahmoud Mohamed Hussein, who has spend more than 2 years in detention, the legal limit to be held without a trial, his lawyer Mokhtar Mounir wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday.

Mahmoud Mohamed, A 20-Yr Old Detained Student During A Court Session To Consider His Remand. Photo Courtesy By His Brother Tariq's Facebook Page.

Mahmoud Mohamed, A 20-Yr Old Detained Student During A Court Session To Consider His Remand. Photo Courtesy By His Brother Tariq’s Facebook Page.

The trial session to hear the appeal is set for Thursday, Mounir added. Amnesty International Tuesday called for the expedited release of Mahmoud Mohamed Hussein, known as the “T-shirt detainee,” who was ordered released on 1000 EGP ($112) bail after spending more than two years in remand, said the organization in a statement.

“Mahmoud Hussein is hours away from release. But he will not be truly free until the authorities drop the ludicrous charges against him, remove all conditions on his release, and end the investigation,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, interim Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International.

His brother Tariq told The Cairo Post that the decision was issued at 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday.

The international rights organization has also called for a prompt probe into allegations of his ill-treatment and torture in detention.

Despite a wave of congratulations took to the social media after the release news, supporters were wary that the decision might be overturned as the prosecution has the right to appeal within 24 hrs from issuance.

Mahmoud Mohamed Hussein, 19-yr old student detained for 700 days in remand- Courtesy of Amnesty

Mahmoud Mohamed Hussein, 19-yr old student detained for 700 days in remand- Courtesy of Amnesty

Hours before the release decision, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met with intellectuals and journalists who demanded issuing amnesty to all political prisoners, and abolishing the protest law and the charge contempt of religion, according to a Facebook post by Novelist Ibrahim Abdel Maguid, who attended the meeting.

Abdel Maguid said he tackled Mahmoud’s story as an example of unlawful detention, addressing the president “How can a 7000-yr old state be happy for the imprisonment of a young man for wearing a t-shirt written on it a ‘Nation without Torture,’ what if it was a nation full of torture?”

Mahmoud, 20, was arrested on his way home in January 2014 wearing a T-Shirt that read “Nation Without Torture,” and a scarf with “January 25” written on it; both were counted among seized evidences against him.

He faced what rights groups described as “unfounded” charges of protesting, possessing explosives and disrupting public peace among others.

Without a single trial session, Mahmoud has exceeded the maximum period for pre-trial detention as set by the law to be two years.

Mahmoud’s health reportedly deteriorated in prison amid lack of medical care to his leg, which prison doctors said needs urgent surgery as a bone is corroding.

Nourhan Magdi, The Cairo Post

Source Article from http://nsnbc.me/2016/03/23/egypts-prosecution-appeals-release-of-detainee-after-2-years-jail-without-trial/

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