Egyptian journalist facing military trial

Human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has urged for the release of Mohamed Sabry who was detained on Friday by members of the armed forces in the Rafah border area with Gaza. The Egyptian freelance journalist and blogger is facing an unfair military trial after being arrested while covering a story in the North Sinai region in Egypt. He is now being charged with trespassing and filming in a prohibited military zone. “Military trials for civilians are fundamentally unfair and it is time for the Egyptian authorities to end them," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme. "It is particularly worrying that a journalist seems to be facing an unfair trial by military court simply for carrying out his work. The charges against Mohamed Sabry must be dropped immediately.” Article 198 of Egypt's new constitution, approved by a popular referendum last month, allows for the trial of civilians in military courts. The article was added to the new constitution’s draft at the insistence of the army representative in the Constituent Assembly, as it was finalising the document. More than 12,000 civilians were tried unfairly by military courts during the 17-month rule of the army from February 2011-June 2012. Mohamed Sabry is believed to be the first civilian to be arrested and to face a military trial since the constitution was passed in late December. "President Mohammed Morsi had the opportunity to close the book on military trials of civilians, but instead it seems the Egyptian authorities will continue to use them as a tool against criticism and dissent," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui. Mohamed Sabry was working on a story for Reuters about regulations surrounding land ownership in border areas, when he was arrested in the city of Rafah, his wife said. The journalist could face up to one year in jail as well as a fine. Mohamed Sabry's is not the only ongoing case of a civilian being tried by military courts in Egypt. Sherif el-Hassary, a 33-year-old computer store owner, is due to appear at the East Cairo Military Court on charges of acquiring a military secret. His relatives deny the accusations and say that they are motivated by a personal dispute. His family says he has faced numerous irregularities during arrest and in detention, such as being arrested without a warrant, and questioned while blindfolded without immediate access to a lawyer.