Friday, August 05, 2011

Egyptian Supreme Council Passes on Use of Military Courts

Military council passes on use of military courts, in a first for Egypt

Ekram Ibrahim, Thursday 4 Aug 2011
Al Ahram

Egypt's ruling military council released 115 people detained when security and army personnel forcibly cleared Tahrir Square last Monday, without resorting to military trials
For the first time since the Egyptian revolution began on 25 January of this year, the ruling military council has released protesters detained during clashes surrounding street protests without conducting a single military trial.

On Monday, 1 August, military police forces along with central security forces smashed their way into Tahrir square, beat and arrested hundreds of people, and destroyed dozens of tents in order to end a three-week old sit-in.

Mona Seif, member of the No Military Trials campaign, told Ahram Online that, yesterday, the military council released 115 individuals, the total it claims to have arrested on 1 August.

However, Seif added that she suspects that the army might not have divulged the true number of those detained that day. “We have no clue whether there are others in military jails, and therefore we will continue working on this case,” Seif told Ahram Online.

Some of those the army arrested included four persons between the ages of 14 and 16.

In recent weeks, a growing number of activists, human rights organisations and others have criticised the ruling military council for its use of military tribunals to prosecute over 10,000 individuals it accuses of breaking public order.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/18088.aspx

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