Release of one of the EIPR clients held in pretrial detention in the case of the September 2019 demonstrations

Press Release

9 March 2022

The second circuit for criminal terrorist offences, held at the Tora police institute on Sunday, March 5, and presided by Judge Moataz Khafaji decided to release Ahmed Muhammad Muhammad Yunus by guarantee of his place of residence in case 1413 of 2019, known as the case of “the events of the September 2019 demonstrations”.

Younes was randomly arrested on September 25, 2019 from Hanouvil Street in Alexandria, after he was randomly stopped while on public transportation. He was detained in the security forces camp until he was brought before the Dekheila Public Prosecution Office on October 22, 2019 in Dekheila Administrative Case No. 13312 of 2019. The Public Prosecution decided to imprison him for 15 days on charges of joining a banned group, with subsequent sessions to renew his detention. On October 8, 2020, the Alexandria Criminal Court decided to release him, but the court’s decision was not implemented. Younes was then rotated on State Security Case Prosecution No. 1413 of 2019 on October 1, 2020 despite the passage of a full year since the case was opened, and despite the release of hundreds of its imprisoned defendants.

EIPR lawyer, Hazem Salah, asked the prosecution to release the defendant due to 1. the absence of justifications for pretrial detention; 2. the absence of evidence in his file; 3. the failure to implement the decision of the Alexandria Criminal Court to release him and unlawfully detain him and re-charge him with the same accusations in the previous case; and 4. the similarity between the legal status and accusations of the defendant and others who have already been released. However, the Prosecution decided to remand Younes for 15 days pending the case, and renewal sessions continued until the court’s decision was issued on Sunday to release him by guarantee of his residence.