Wednesday, December 27, 2017

15 hanged following Egyptian military trial

In the largest mass execution since the overthrow of King Farouk, Egypt has hanged 15 men following their conviction in a military court, according to this article in The New York Times. Excerpt:
“These death sentences and executions are a flagrant breach of international law,” Maya Foa, director of the international human rights organization Reprieve, said Tuesday. “Trials in Egypt routinely fail to meet basic fair trial standards, and this is especially so in mass trials and military tribunals, as in this case.”
Attorney Ezzat Ghoniem
said that the lawyers were not given time to present an appeal after the defense minister signed off on their executions a week ago.

“They are meant to give you 15 days after the signing,” Mr. Ghoniem said. “They got six. How is that fair?”

Islamist activists who know the families said that two of the 15 had bruises and cuts on their bodies, suggesting they had been tortured, and that none of the families were given the chance to say goodbye to the condemned before the executions, as required by Egyptian law.

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