The Giza Criminal Court referred two defendants in the “Ultras Rabaawi” case to the Grand Mufi, after handing them death sentences. The second defendant was sentenced in absentia.
Judge Nagy Shehata charged the two men with attacking public institutions and torching state-owned buildings in 6th of October City. The final trial session will be held on 3 October.
The court also accused them of being members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, who established the new group to counter the police and the army and to participate in protests.
During the trial sessions, the defence argued that one of the defendants was being subjected to torture. The court ordered the defendant to be examined by the Forensic Medicine department, although the report for the department’s investigations was not made public.
The name Ultras Rabaawi refers to Rabaa Al-Adaweya Square, where thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters staged a sit-in in July 2013 against the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood government. The sit-in was dispersed a month later, leaving a disputed number of deaths and injuries. The group adopts a revolutionary rhetoric interspersed with Islamist tendencies, often citing heroic “Islamic” figures who are said to have fought for the “glory of Islam”.
The number of groups similar to the Ultras Rabaawi has been on the rise since the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Al-Nahda Square sit-ins. Sudden protests are a technique used by anti-government groups in universities and streets.
Supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi have been staging weekly protests every Friday since his ouster in July 2013. However, the majority of these protests are restricted to remote villages and working-class neighbourhoods, where security forces experience problems patrolling the streets.
This has most recently occurred in the Matariya neighbourhood of Cairo. Every Friday, demonstrations gain momentum after the weekly sermon in mosques on side streets. Different demonstrations meet afterwards at main streets or squares, often clashing with riot police.
