The Second Circuit of the Criminal Court (Terrorism) at Badr Court Complex resumed on August 8th the trial of Samer Ahmed El-Dessouky (35 years old, Financial Manager), who is being prosecuted in connection with Case No. 1633 of 2022 of the State Security Prosecution.

El-Dessouky has endured more than three years of detention marked by numerous violations, including being prosecuted in four different cases on political charges. Despite being acquitted in three separate trials, where charges of membership in a terrorist group were dismissed and he was cleared of all other accusations, he is now facing prosecution in a fourth case.

He was arrested on 8 May 2022 in New Damietta City. Still, the Ministry of Interior did not bring him before the Public Prosecution until a whole month later, under Case No. 4852 of 2022 (New Damietta Misdemeanours), initially accused of joining a takfiri group. He was, however, referred to trial only on charges of possessing materials “opposing the Constitution”. Although he was acquitted, the Ministry of Interior once again referred him to prosecution on the same accusations under Case No. 6876 of 2022 (New Damietta Misdemeanours), from which he was again acquitted.

Instead of being released following this second acquittal, El-Dessouky was held in enforced disappearance for three weeks before being “recycled” once more and referred to a third prosecution, Case No. 8400 of 2022, on the same charges. On 7 December 2022, he was acquitted for a third time.

Following this third acquittal, rather than releasing him, the authorities transferred El-Dessouky to Badr 1 Prison, after interrogating him before the State Security Prosecution in connection with Case No. 1633 of 2022. This case involves 87 defendants, accused of membership in a terrorist organisation and using the internet to promote terrorist ideas.

The first hearing in this case was held on June 11th, 2025, before the Second Circuit of the Criminal Court (Terrorism), located within the Badr Security Complex. The defendants were placed in a glass dock, preventing their lawyers from seeing them or ensuring they could follow the proceedings. The court adjourned the trial to Saturday, 9 August 2025, to allow defence lawyers to examine the case files for the first time since the case was brought before the State Security Prosecution almost two years earlier.

According to the case documents, the only evidence against El-Dessouky consists of National Security Agency reports.

Furthermore, the case papers indicate that the alleged crimes occurred between 2022 and 14 November 2023, while the first National Security report was filed in September 2022 — four months after El-Dessouky’s arrest and detention by the Ministry of Interior. Beyond the illogical repetition of charges previously dismissed in three separate cases, the accusation that he committed online offences during a period when he was already in custody casts serious doubt on the reliability and credibility of the investigations.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights urges the court to uphold the principles of law, to avoid the appearance of collective trials lacking minimum fair trial standards, and to allow El-Dessouky to leave the glass dock long enough to communicate with his defence during the upcoming hearing on 9 August. The court should also allow him to describe the violations he has endured during more than three years of arbitrary detention, including enforced disappearance, and being re-charged with “membership in a terrorist group” despite three previous acquittals for the same period cited in the referral order of the current case.

The immediate release of Samer El-Dessouky, ahead of what would be his fourth acquittal, would be a first step towards redressing the flagrant violations committed against him and should be followed by urgent investigations and accountability of those responsible.