Democracy News

Egyptian Civilian Blogger Faces Military Trial
March 2, 2010
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly

In Egypt, a 20-year-old blogger named Ahmed Mustafa is currently being tried in a military court for accusing the country’s military academy of nepotism.  According to a blog post on Mustafa’s website, he claims that a student was dismissed in order for the academy to admit the son of a wealthy “influential figure,” BCC News reports. During the trial, Mustafa’s blog post was the only piece of evidence.  In addition, it is reported that Mustafa’s claim was never investigated.  Human Rights Watch reports that Mustafa was previously questioned by Egyptian authorities on January 17, but was not arrested until February 25, 2010.  Mustafa was formally charged with violating Law 113 of 1956 and the Penal Code, which bans: “the publication of information considered a secret of the armed forces, spreading false information with the goal of causing harm and insulting officials responsible for admission of students into the military academy.”

Although an Egyptian law, established in 1981, states that civilians are allowed to be tried in military court, Mustafa’s detainment is in direct conflict with two international human rights accords that were ratified by the Egyptian government.  According to both accords, the African Convention on Human and People's Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the government is supposed to protect freedom of expression.   Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, stated that the Egyptian government should be investigating Mustafa’s claims instead of trying to silence him: “The government should not be prosecuting Mostafa at all, much less before a military court, with no possibility of appeal.”

According to Voice of America, military proceedings are usually reserved for individuals who are deemed a threat to national security.  In recent years, the Egyptian government has cracked down on other bloggers, but the detained have all faced trial in civilian court.

The trial began on March 1 and is currently adjourned until March 7.

Sources:

BBC News - Egypt blogger military trial criticised

Voice of America - Egypt Puts Blogger on Trial in Military Court for Criticizing Army

Human Rights Watch – Free Blogger in Military Court Trial