African Commission issues restraining order against the death penalty in Egypt – Middle East Monitor

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights today issued an injunction against Egypt ordering it to suspend the death sentences imposed on 26 detainees while examining a complaint by former senior members of the Egyptian Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) .

The FJP was the political party of the democratically elected government of Egypt, which was overthrown in a military coup in 2013.

The men, according to the legal team who filed the lawsuit, “have been convicted in mass trials that have been heavily criticized by leading international human rights organizations for serious irregularities in due process and violations of fair trial.” The charges originally brought against them “related to their participation in pro-democratic protests against the coup”.

739 people were charged, with the court sentencing 612 people to 75 death sentences, 47 life sentences and heavy prison terms ranging from five to 15 years. “Complaints about the trials included non-compliance with basic fair trial standards, hearings that involved large numbers of defendants, and failure to identify specific allegations against each of the defendants,” a statement from Bindmans LLP said.

READ: Egypt puts female political prisoners in a cell with criminals, reports ENHR

Egypt now has 15 days to confirm that the special measures will be implemented and 60 days to argue about the admissibility of the men’s complaint. Tayab Ali, a partner at Bindmans LLP, said: “The international community has ignored the serious human rights violations committed by the Egyptian authorities since the 2013 coup.

Egypt’s final stage is to silence the opposition voices through mock trials and the death penalty. These men have no access to further appointments within Egypt and will now rely entirely on the case that will be presented to the African Commission to determine their fate.

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