Shura Council defendants demand retrial

Twenty-two defendants in the Shura Council case, sentenced to 15 years in absentia on Wednesday but not detained, issued a statement on Saturday announcing that they would head to the prosecutor’s office to demand a retrial.

According to their lawyers, some of the defendants went to see the prosecutor on Saturday, and the rest will go on Sunday.

Twenty-five have been charged with violating the Protest Law in relation to a demonstration held last November in front of the Shura Council. They were also fined 100 thousand pounds and given five years probation.

After the verdict on Wednesday, three defendants were arrested from outside the court at the Tora Police Academy, while the rest of the defendants were not detained. Those in detention are activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, Mohamed Nouby and Wael Metwally.

The detained defendants demanded a retrial on Wednesday. They remain in custody until the scheduling of a court session to review their demands.

By default, a sentence issued in absentia is to be revised once the defendants are in custody.

Fearing that they would be arrested while making their demands, the free defendants asserted in their statement on Saturday that they would go to the prosecutors office themselves, adding that any allegations of their arrest would be false.

Abdel Fattah, Nouby and Metwally were arrested as fugitives on Wednesday, even though they were outside the court waiting for permission to enter and attend the session.

In their statement, the defendants said that their sentence is a continuation of the systematic targeting of those who participated in the January 25 revolution.

Abdel Fattah’s family and other supporters are currently holding a protest in front of the Justice Ministry, demanding the release of political detainees and the annulment of the Protest Law passed in November.