On Wednesday the 20^th of March, 2024, the Counselor, investigating judge, issued a ruling in Case No. 173 of 2011, known as the Human Rights Organizations Case, stating that there is no basis for filing a criminal case against five organizations that were in progress. In fact, however, the investigating judge’s decision did not include all the organizations involved and did not close the case permanently, thus the case is not resolved completely, contrary to all the statements issued and the news published in many newspapers and news websites on Wednesday. 

Until now, the file of the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) has not yet been closed, while it is the first Egyptian organization to be investigated before the investigating judges in Case no. 173 on December 28, 2011, after entering its headquarters and seizing its files and computers. Its founders are still on the list of those banned from traveling according to the decision of the previous investigating judge in the same case, who referred ACIJILP file to the Supreme State Security Prosecution from 2017 until now without resolution.

It must be noted that the current investigating judge has fulfilled the procedures for the 85 Egyptian organizations whose files have only been examined since 2016, without those organizations that were investigated in 2011 and 2012 and whose situation has not been settled yet.·         

ACIJLP confirms that, so far, it has not yet received any information from any judicial authority regarding the its legal condition in the case, in which a decision of ending investigations was issued. This makes case no. 173 still open and it cannot be claimed to have been resolved permanently according to what was reported from some websites on Wednesday. 

  ACIJLP also welcomes the decision issued in the case on Wednesday the 20^th of March 2024, and demands that the Egyptian authorities ensure that the decision includes all the organizations listed in the case, with the investigating judge clarifying ACIJLP’s legal position. It also demands that all Egyptian human rights advocates to be guaranteed the entitlements of all their civil rights, most importantly their right to movement and travel and their right to manage their seized funds.

The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP)

 To read the press release click here

Starting from January the 18^th, 2014, those accused of criminal cases have the right to appeal the rulings issued against them, in accordance with Law no.1 of 2024 amending some provisions of the Criminal Procedure law, which came in implementation of the constitutional entitlement contained in Article no.240 of the Egyptian Constitution, the article that granted the government ten years’ time limit to regulate the right to two-level litigation in criminal cases, a right that was approved by Article no.196 of the Constitution.

Read the full statement

The Justice Support Foundation affiliated by The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) warns against the critical judicial consequences of the government disregarding binding constitutional entitlements regarding regulating the right to litigate at two levels in Felonies lawsuits, which, according to article no.240 of the constitution, are decided to be abolished by the 17^th of current January, 2024.

.To view the full statement, please open the following link: