A fact-finding committee formed by President Mohamed Morsy to investigate detentions made since the January 2011 uprising has said it was informed by military judges and Interior Ministry officials that civilian and military prisons are no longer holding detainees who were arrested in connection with protests and clashes over the last year and a half.
In its second statement, of which Al-Masry Al-Youm obtained a copy, the committee said it received on Wednesday a notification from the military judiciary saying that the total number of detainees charged in military cases between January 2011 and 30 June 2012 was 11,879; 9,714 of whom were acquitted.
The statement said the committee would consider the status of the remaining 2,165 prisoners who have been convicted and are currently serving out their sentences.
The committee’s rapporteur, Mahmoud Fawzy, said it had asked military judges to provide them with the files of acquitted detainees to compare them with those still detained before submitting a report of recommendations to the president.
Morsy formed the committee to conduct investigations into the murder and assault of protesters from the beginning of the revolution until the end of the interim period on 30 June.
A member of the committee said that it is asking all security forces and judicial authorities for documentation and will refer those who do not cooperate with the investigations to the public prosecution.
The member, who requested anonymity, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the committee is investigating 13 incidents of violence, starting with the 18-day uprising.
The committee has also decided to investigate claims that some security agencies failed to provide evidence to the public prosecution in the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak.
“We will visit prisons and detention centers and collect documents from security agencies. Whoever fails to help us will be reported to the public prosecution. We will investigate everything,” the member said.
President Morsy has promised retrials for those accused of killing protesters after senior security officials were acquitted of these charges in June while Mubarak and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly each were sentenced to life in prison.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
