Egypt Refers Late President Mohamed Morsi’s Son and 71 Others to Trial

Watan-The Egyptian Supreme State Security Prosecution referred, on Monday, lawyer Osama Mohamed Morsi, son of the late President Mohamed Morsi, along with human rights lawyer Osama Bayoumi and approximately 70 others, including women, to criminal trial. They are accused in case No. 1096 of 2022 (Supreme State Security), which includes charges similar to other cases, some of which they have already been convicted in, while others have received release orders.

This is the second case against Morsi’s son since his arrest in December 2016. At the time, he was detained and tried in a case in which the prosecution accused him of “inciting violence.” He was sentenced to ten years in prison and was set to complete his sentence next year.

However, he was placed under new charges in the latest case, in which he is again accused of “inciting violence” despite being already in detention. Since his arrest from his home in the Sharqia Governorate, he has been completely denied visits from both his legal defense and his family.

This is also the second case against lawyer Osama Bayoumi, one of the most prominent defenders of political prisoners’ rights. He has been detained in Badr 3 Prison at the Badr Reform and Rehabilitation Center since security forces raided his home in the early hours of January 30, 2022, without providing any reasons. He was forcibly disappeared for four days before appearing on February 3, 2022, when he was presented before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in connection with Case No. 640 of 2018.

He was initially remanded in custody for 15 days pending investigation and transferred to the high-security Scorpion Prison, facing charges of joining a terrorist organization while knowing its objectives, spreading false news and statements, and misusing social media. He has now been recycled into the newly referred case for trial.

This case also includes detainees who were recharged in it after being released in other cases, most notably those who had received release orders in Case No. 1530 of 2019 (Supreme State Security). They were added to this case immediately after their release orders were issued.

The defendants referred for trial today face various charges, including “joining a banned group established in violation of the law, financing this group to achieve its objectives within Egypt while being aware of its anti-state goals, participating in realizing these objectives, inciting violence, spreading false news and information, organizing unauthorized gatherings of more than five people without security approval, possessing publications, and sharing inciting content on social media.”