Meca members given another 30 days in jail
By Jonathan Spollen, Daily Star
CAIRO: A court in Abbasiya has extended the jail terms of the two Egyptian Christians accused of “defaming” Islam, by another 30 days.
Peter Ezzat and Dr Adel Fawzy Faltas Hanna, both members of the Canada-based Middle East Christian Association (Meca), have been imprisoned since August 8 after police raided their homes confiscating CDs, computers and books, which prosecutors allege contain materials offensive to Islam.
Under Egyptian law, suspects may be jailed for up to three months without charge to allow authorities to investigate allegations, meaning this latest 30-day sentence will constitute the maximum period.
On its conclusion the Egyptian authorities must decide to press charges against the two men or let them walk free.
A protest was held outside the court with people holding placards saying, “Free Them,” and with T-shirts with the faces of the two men printed on them.
According to one of their defense lawyers Peter El-Naggar, Dr Hanna broke down in court when the judge issued the sentence, crying: “Why are we still in prison? What have we done?”
El-Naggar told Daily News Egypt that there have been no charges filed because the accusations have no basis.
“The prosecution has failed to present a single piece of evidence to support these accusations,” he said.
He added that the families of the two men, who were present in court, were distraught.
Mamdouh Ramzi, another defense lawyer working on the case with El-Naggar, also rubbished the case against Ezzat and Hanna, and lamented the lack of human rights that allowed for the extra sentence.
“The situation in Egypt is too bad,” he told Daily News Egypt, adding that he expects the men will go free after the 30-day period due to lack of evidence.
The news comes in the light of a recent report issued by Washington-based think tank Freedom House, which criticizes discrimination against religious minorities in Egypt.