Interim president denies that civilians have been convicted by military courts in Egypt

Interim president Adly Mansour has denied that any Egyptian civilians have been tried by military courts since the coup in July. Mansour, who was appointed by coup leader General Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi, insisted that as a judge himself he will only accept civilians going before civilian judges.

Speaking on state television, Mansour said that the indications are that there is a general improvement in the performance of Egypt’s security services. “Although they are largely improving,” he told viewers, “they are still not at the desired degree of performance.” He claimed that the police have stopped interfering in political affairs. “That was an age which will never return,” he insisted.

In Suez on September 3, meanwhile, a Military Court appeared to contradict the president’s claim when it sentenced one civilian to life imprisonment while three others were sentenced to 15 years each; another 48 received sentences ranging between five and ten years.

Similarly, on July 24, a military court convicted eight pro-Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood members for two years each. They were convicted of assaulting the 3rd Field Army and attempting to storm a governmental facility by lifting barbed wire in front of the headquarters of Suez Governorate.

Remarks made by the interim president during his broadcast about stability in the country coincided with the announcement of huge economic losses and the ongoing manhunt for opposition activists.