Amnesty International Egypthas urged the military authorities to drop charges against an activist accused of prison sentences the country's ruling military generals on Twitter, in what could prove to be a landmark case for freedom in post-Mubarak Egypt.
Asmaa Mahfouz, co-founder of the movement influential 6 April was summoned to a military court Sunday after posting two sentences interneton. "If the justice system does not give us our rights, nobody should be upset if armed groups emerge and carry out assassinations," she wrote. "As long as there is no law there is no justice, anything can happen and no one should be upset."
Revolutionary in Egypt have been campaigning against the use of military trials since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February, and the issue has been a major faultline in College for the November parliamentary elections, when the army has promised to return to barracks. Many have complained that the reply of the Supreme Council of the armed forces [SCAF] on legitimate criticism echoes, the Mubarak regime.
Mahfouz, 26, who also criticized the Council last month in an interview with al-Jazeera, has been released on £ 2,000 bail. On Tuesday, she was referred to a military Tribunal, although no date has been set for her case.
General Adel Morsy, as head of the Department of Justice Commission, defended the army the right to charge Mahfouz. "No citizen shall be condemned [] for an opinion, they adopt freely, as long as this statement is objective and not infringe other people's rights, or vilify them and their dignity," he said in a statement. "If the said opinion goes beyond these limits, the penalties becomes necessary as it is regarded as a crime of insult."
Heba Morayef, a researcher with the Egypt Human Rights Watch, said the case highlighted the Council deliberate intimidation of critics. "The accusations against Mahfouz all found in the Egyptian Penal Code, even if insulting public officials – including the use of strong words-is allowed under international human rights," she said. "This underlines the need to review all repressive laws used by the Government to stifle freedoms of speech, freedom of Association and freedom of Association – all of which are under attack".
Activist Noor Ayman Noor said 10,000 military trials had taken place in recent months, including many involving peaceful demonstrators. "The SCAF has noted that the public has not taken a strong stand against these attempts so that they now extend them to activists. Only today, I was informed that three more activists were summoned to a military consultation ".
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