Egypt: 125 people tried for ties with Sinai group
The Egyptian government referred 125 alleged Sinai Province members to criminal trial on the 26th of October amidst worries of human rights violations, according to TheNewArab.
The country’s state security referred the detainees to trial where they are accused of joining and financing the militant insurgency group affiliated with ISIS.
Over half of those in the case are women, The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.
They are charged with “joining a terrorist group, the Sinai Province, which is affiliated with IS and providing logistical support to the group knowing their purposes and objectives in Egypt”.
While the government says it is justified in its approach to dealing with the accused, those detained claim that they have been subject to serious human rights abuses.
A report titled “Endless Detention”, published by the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights and the Egyptian Front for Human Rights, detailed the alleged violations committed by security and judicial authorities.
The report noted that those detained were the victims of enforced disappearance and torture, with the prosecution renewing their detention over the same charges after they were released.
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The Sinai Province group have been active since 2011 and are linked to a number of deadly attacks mostly in north Sinai, but also in Cairo and other parts of Egypt.
Initially known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, the militant insurgency group pledged allegiance to ISIS in November 2014.
With around 1,000 to 1,500 members, the Sinai based group has carried out operations as far west as Egypt’s Western Desert.
TheNewArab and Agencies
