Egypt’s Attorney General, Judge Hisham Barakat yesterday referred the cases of 58 civilians from Giza, west Cairo, to the military prosecutor on charges they committed terrorist acts in the period between August 2013 and October 2014.
“Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat ordered the referral of 58 defendants belonging to the Magholoon [Anonymous] group… who committed terrorist acts within Giza province from August 2013 until October 2014, to the military public prosecutor,” a statement from the public prosecutor’s office said.
4,600Egyptian civilians have been referred to military courts since October 2014
According to the statement, the group of 58 was directed by Brotherhood leaders abroad and is charged with founding and financing a terrorist group, espionage, attempted murder of policemen and sabotaging public facilities.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi issued a decree in October last year that enabled civilians to be referred to military courts.
Human rights organisations criticised the decision, warning that it would exacerbate the problems being faced by the justice system in the country and would deprive defendants of their legal and judicial rights.
According to statistics compiled by the Anadolu Agency, over 4,600 Egyptians civilian have been referred to military courts since the decree was issued last year.