ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR inherently unfair and defendants are denied TRIALS the right to have their convictions and Authorities released 13 human rights sentences reviewed by higher courts. defenders, journalists and politicians who Security forces prevented lawyers from had been held in pretrial detention for years, meeting their clients in private. but thousands remained detained arbitrarily In August, the SSSP referred to emergency solely for exercising their human rights or courts human rights NGO founder Ezzat after grossly unfair trials or without legal Ghoneim and lawyer Hoda Abdelmoneim on basis. Security forces arbitrarily arrested charges of “spreading false news” or hundreds of actual or perceived government “terrorism” solely for their peaceful human critics. rights or political work. In February, authorities arbitrarily detained Between June and December, emergency leading businessman Seif Thabet, two courts convicted student Ahmed Samir months after his father, Safwan Thabet, was Santawy; opposition politicians Zyad el- arrested, because of their refusal to hand Elaimy, Hossam Moanis and Hisham Fouad; over assets of their successful company activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, lawyer and NGO Juhayna. Both remained detained in founder Mohamed Baker and blogger prolonged solitary confinement without trial or Mohamed Ibrahim, known as “Oxygen”, of formal charge. “spreading false news” and sentenced them Prosecutors and judges renewed the pretrial to between three and five years’ detention of thousands of individuals held imprisonment for criticizing Egypt’s human pending investigations into unfounded rights record, economic policy and living terrorism-related charges without allowing standards. them to challenge its lawfulness. In October, ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES the Ministry of Justice issued a decree allowing for the renewal of pretrial detention Authorities subjected hundreds of detainees remotely without guaranteeing respect of due to enforced disappearance in NSA premises, process. police stations and other unknown locations. The Supreme State Security Prosecution The NSA removed prisoners of conscience (SSSP), a special branch of the Public and others held for political reasons from Prosecution responsible for investigating their habitual places of detention following security threats, continued to bypass release court release orders and concealed their fate orders by judges or prosecutors for and whereabouts for up to three months. individuals in prolonged pretrial detention, No investigations were ordered into the 23- including those detained beyond the two-year month enforced disappearance of Manar legal limit, by issuing new detention orders Adel Abu el-Naga with her toddler son over similar charges based on secret NSA preceding her February questioning on investigations – a practice known as terrorism-related charges by the SSSP. Her “rotation”. Similar tactics were employed to husband, Omar Abdelhamid, remained keep convicted prisoners in detention after forcibly disappeared since March 2019. they had served their sentences. On 15 June, TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT the SSSP ordered the detention of human rights lawyer Mohamed Ramadan pending Security forces tortured and otherwise ill- investigations into a new case, days after a treated detainees, including through court ordered his release from his three-year beatings, electric shocks, suspension in pretrial detention. contorted positions and indefinite solitary The SSSP referred at least 28 arbitrarily confinement in dire conditions. At least 56 detained human rights defenders, opposition detainees died in custody following medical politicians and activists to trial by emergency complications and four others died following 2 courts. Proceedings in these courts are reports of torture. Authorities failed to Amnesty International Report 2021/22 154