On 20 December 2021, the State Security Misdemeanour (Emergency) Court sentenced  blogger Alaa Abd El-Fattah to 5 years in prison and human rights lawyer Mohammed Al-Baqer and blogger Mohammed Ibrahim (Oxygen) to 4 years in prison, after a trial that lacked even the most basic  international standards on fair trials and legal procedures.

They were convicted of, “spreading false news that would affect the national security of the country” in retaliation against their peaceful activism on the Internet and through social media networks.

The trial, which included only three hearings , was marred by serious violations, including the defence team’s failure to obtain a copy of the 2,000-page case file, and the confiscation of their right to appeal as the judgments of this court are final.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) expresses its full solidarity with the three human rights defenders, Alaa Abdel Fattah, Mohammed Al-Baqer and Mohammed Ibrahim, and calls on the United Nations mechanisms and governments that have influence in Egypt to act urgently to quash these invalid sentences and work for their unconditional release.

Photo: contribution from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)