FJP asks African Commission to intervene in Egyptian death sentences

Egypt’s Freedom and Justice Party’s international legal team has submitted complaints to the African Commission on behalf of the 683 detainees who were sentenced to death in the country earlier this week.

The hundreds of new death sentences come despite the African Commission ordering the Egyptian interim authority to immediately suspend the penalties of 529 people sentenced on March 22.

The African Commission made the order on April 25 and gave the interim government 15 days to comply.

The new complaint says that the court hearing that lead to the death sentences lasted less than one hour, “no evidence was submitted against each individual accused and the court did not assess the individual guilt of each defendant before sentencing them to death as a group. It could not be said that the defendants received a fair trial.”

Tayab Ali, Partner of London law firm ITN Solicitors who represents the FJP, said: “The dispensation of 1,212 death sentences is the highest number of death penalties issued by a court in this way.

“The United Nations should take immediate action at the highest level to force Egypt’s interim authority to reverse these decisions. It can no longer be acceptable for the international community to turn a blind eye to many well documented criminal acts being carried out by the Egyptian interim authority.”