7 arrested in dawn raids added to case involving Brotherhood leader’s daughter, rights lawyers

Seven people arrested in a crackdown by security forces earlier this month have been added to a case that includes the daughter of a prominent Muslim Brotherhood leader and at least two human rights lawyers.

The total number of defendants in the case (Case 1552/2018) has now reached 13, all of whom face charges of joining and financing a terrorist group, according to Shorouk Salam, one of the defense attorneys.

All 13 defendants were detained on November 1 as part of a sweeping security campaign that saw 31 people arrested in dawn raids. The crackdown was later condemned by a number of local and international human rights organizations.

Five of the new defendants — Sahar Salah, Somaya Nassef, Tarek al-Selkawy, Osama Ibrahim and Osama Mabrouk — appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on Saturday and two more, Marwa Madbuly and Ibrahim Atta, appeared on Thursday. All were ordered by the prosecution to be held in remand detention for 15 days pending further investigations, according to Salam.

Last Wednesday, the prosecution began investigating six of the original defendants accused in the case. They include Aisha al-Shater, the daughter of Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater; her husband Mohamed Abu Horaira, a lawyer and former spokesperson of the Egyptian Coordination of Rights and Freedoms; lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim, a former member of the state-appointed National Council for Human Rights; Bahaa Ouda, the brother of the former Minister of Supply, Bassem Ouda; as well as brothers Mohamed and Ahmed al-Hudaiby.

Two of the defense lawyers in the case, Ahmed Abul Ela and Omar Ismail, said that the prosecution rejected their requests to examine investigation reports.

Abul Ela also said that two of his clients, Mohamed and Ahmed al-Hudaiby, have been held illegally at a National Security Agency facility in the Cairo suburb of 6th of October since their arrest. Article 41 of the Criminal Procedure Code stipulates that detainees must be held in facilities designated for that purpose, he explained, stating that he requested that the two men be transferred to a prison under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry.