Two military trials of civilians Mohamed Sabry and Sherif Al-Hosary were postponed on Tuesday until next week.
Al-Hosary’s trial was briefly resumed, only to be postponed till 22 January. Mamdouh Ismail, Al-Hosary’s lawyer, said that next week’s session will be dedicated to hearing the witnesses testimonies.
Al-Hosary was arrested on 19 November 2012 when military intelligence personnel raided his home. He is charged with withholding confidential information about the armed forces on a computer hard-drive; the hard drive was confiscated upon Al-Hosary’s arrest alongside other personal belongings.
Bailed out of jail two weeks ago, Al-Hosary is not in custody throughout the trial. Ismail said he was optimistic about Al-Hosary’s acquittal.
A protest was held outside the C28 military court in Nasr City, where Al-Hosary is being tried. No Military Trials movement called for the protest, as well as another protest at the Ismailia Military court, where journalist Sabry is being tried.
Sabry’s trial was postponed until 21 January due to the absence of prosecution witnesses, reported the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR). He was arrested in Rafah while reporting on the killing of army soldiers in the region. Sabry is charged with being in a military zone and taking pictures of a military facility.
Article 198 of the new constitution prohibits the trial of civilians in military courts “unless they commit charges deemed as harmful to the armed forces”.
Additional reporting by Ahmed Aboul Enein
