Cairo -
Egypt and Germany exchanged strongly worded statements against the backdrop of the trial of a number of Egyptian activists who are undergoing a trial, whose verdicts are expected to be issued, tomorrow, Monday, against 3 activists being tried on a charge they deny with spreading false news, they are lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer and political activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah. And blogger Mohamed Ibrahim, known as "Oxygen".
On Friday, the German Foreign Ministry issued a statement confirming that the Federal Government considers the court’s ruling as an indication of the direction in which the human rights situation is developing in Egypt, and demanded the release of the trio. And unjustified in Egyptian internal affairs.
While activists and opponents praised the German statement, supporters of the Egyptian authority praised its counter-statement, and media outlets close to it launched a severe attack on the German government.
German anticipation
The beginning was with a statement published by the German embassy in Cairo, on Friday, quoting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which it said that “the verdict expected to be pronounced on December 20 against lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer is, for the federal government, an indication of the direction in which the human rights situation in Egypt is evolving.” ".
The Foreign Ministry added that the German government expects that "the Egyptian government will work to achieve a fair trial, as well as the release of Al-Baqer and the other accused, Alaa Abdel-Fattah and Mohamed Ibrahim," stressing that "lawyers may not be punished for practicing their professional activities."
And she continued, in her statement, that "from the point of view of the federal government, freedom of expression is the basis of social peace, the participation of all social circles, and sustainable stability."
She concluded: "We value the recent steps taken by the Egyptian government to improve the human rights situation, including the launch of the first Egyptian human rights strategy in September, and we will follow its implementation with great interest."
sharp Egyptian response
Within 24 hours of the German statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement expressing Egypt's strong dissatisfaction with the statement issued by the German Foreign Ministry.
In its statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected "the statement issued by the German government regarding the awaited trial session for a number of defendants before the Egyptian judiciary," noting that "this method involves unacceptable transgressions and is a blatant and unjustified interference in Egyptian internal affairs, and is confiscated on a judicial track without evidence." or substantive evidence.
The statement added, "It is surprising that the German government demands respect for the law, and at the same time calls for intervention and influence on the rulings of the majestic Egyptian judiciary, which is known for its independence, impartiality and integrity, which we monitor with double standards."
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry concluded its statement that "it is better for the German government to pay attention to its internal challenges instead of imposing its guardianship on others." The statement did not clarify what is meant by internal challenges.
media attack
Media figures close to the Egyptian authorities praised their country's foreign statement, and attacked the German statement, and what they considered interference by the German government in Egyptian internal affairs.
The journalist Amr Adib described the style of the German Foreign Ministry's statement as "naive", praising the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's statement, especially since Egypt cannot issue a statement similar to what Berlin issued to direct it regarding its dealings with a German person who appears before the judiciary.
During the presentation of his program "The Story", via the Saudi-owned "MBC Egypt", Adeeb singled out a section of the statement with criticism, saying, "It is not permissible to punish lawyers for practicing their professional activity," stressing that the legal situation in Egypt is not managed in this way, and that the issue is not related to a statement. The German Foreign Ministry or not, but rather related to the judge and the papers in his hands.
The media, Ahmed Moussa, denounced the German Foreign Ministry's interference in the Egyptian affairs, wondering who gave Germany the right to such interference in the internal affairs. He asked: Does Egypt interfere in Germany's affairs?
During his program on "Sada Al-Balad" channel, Moussa recommended Germany to be preoccupied with its internal conditions, and to consider what it did to the refugees it threw at its borders at a temperature of 10 degrees below zero, according to the Egyptian media's claim.
Social media controversy
The pioneers of social networking sites in Egypt were divided between praising what was stated in the German Foreign Ministry’s statement and changing its tone in the absence of former Chancellor Angela Merkel as evidence of what is going on in the Egyptian courts, and some of them expected a possible positive impact of the statement on the case.
On the other hand, supporters of the Egyptian government circulated its statement widely, and a large number of them praised the strong Egyptian response to the German intervention, and that the statement's strong tone is evidence of the strength of the Egyptian state.
Denouncing the statement of the German Foreign Ministry, describing it as an unacceptable guardianship of a country that is supposed to work in partnership with Egypt,
and that assuming the lack of integrity in the Egyptian judicial system and asking the authorities to intervene is a violation and unacceptable of the sovereign state!
🔴 Ok, go out, the respected lawyer and jurist Muhammad Al-Baqer, because he is really wronged pic.twitter.com/bfbOxkernH
— Haytham Abokhalil Haitham Abu Khalil (@haythamabokhal1) December 17, 2021
An astonishing development in Germany other than “Marklia”,
where the embassy seemed to give lessons to the regime in societal peace, freedom of expression and human rights. The
most dangerous thing about this statement: –
– Its strength and its issuance by the German Foreign Ministry
– The phrase “we will follow its implementation.”
It is mentioned that the coup tried to buy the German position with billions pic.twitter.com/adW9LEYI7v
- Hossam Al-Ghamry (@HossamAlGhamry) December 18, 2021
Lawyers may not be punished for exercising their professional duty!
A statement from the German government regarding the upcoming verdict next Monday against Muhammad Al-Baqer, who was arrested during his presence as an interrogation lawyer with #Alaa_Abdul-Fattah.
The statement demands the release of Alaa and #Muhammad_Oxygen, who are being tried like thousands of others on trumped-up charges https://t.co/Y9hOOkkn0C
— Bahey eldin Hassan (@BaheyHassan) December 17, 2021
Germany does not like the trial session in which Alaa Abdel-Fattah and other of their beloved (clients) will be tried... from before the trial they objected....
So a response came from Assad of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry with the power of Egypt and the conclusion of the response, keep you in your problems and don't interfere in what you don't have 👏👏👏👏😂😂
— Jehan Ahmed Lotfy (@gehan_ltfy2016) December 19, 2021
The statement of the German embassy in Egypt
is less than what can be described.. It is a rude statement and lacks the least degree of diplomacy
. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry responded with a strong response and shows that Egypt has become a strong, influential and sovereign country..
Thank you to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry…
— 𓄿𓉔𓅓𓂧-𓈎𓋴𓄿𓃀𓇋𓇋drkasaby (@drkasaby) December 19, 2021
Egypt is hardening the new German government without mercy or pity in a lesson to the whole world that Egypt is outside the guardianship of any country, whatever its name or capacity, we now have a lot of papers that make us throw this fiery
statement A press release issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday pic. twitter.com/oxYZZFdMq9
— fathy saleh (@fathysa63762977) December 19, 2021
Tomorrow, blogger and activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, human rights lawyer and director of the Adalah Center for Rights and Freedoms Muhammad Al-Baqer, and blogger and activist Muhammad Ibrahim (known as Muhammad Oxygen) will appear before the Emergency State Security Court to face politically motivated charges of “spreading false information to undermine national security” through their posts on Social media.
The three spent - according to a statement by Amnesty International - more than two years in arbitrary pretrial detention "in appalling conditions, and were denied access to lawyers in particular, and regular contact with their families."
#Egypt |
Lifting the state of emergency is not enough.
The authorities should immediately and unconditionally release those who face trial in emergency courts solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights.
https://t.co/nyZkFRYYMq
— Amnesty International (@AmnestyAR) November 1, 2021
The image can be used with the following link, which was previously used in Amnesty International's news about the Alaa, Al-Baqer and Oxygen trio
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