Qasr Al-Nil Juvenile Misdemeanour Court acquitted on Sunday 13 adolescents from charges of protesting against the Red Sea islands deal on 25 April, according to the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR).
Only eight of the young defendants were present for their first court session. They were previously released by the prosecution along with 51 other protesters who were also acquitted by the prosecution after being sentenced to two years in jail.
Five other adolescents in the same case, although arrested from the Dokki district, were sentenced to five years on EGP 100,000 bail. The 25 April protest defendants totalled 223 people divided into four cases. A large number of these defendants have been released.
The maritime border demarcation deal was signed on 8 April between President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, which would have seen the sovereignty of Tiran and Sanafir islands transferred to Saudi Arabia.
The nationwide 25 April protests were met with a strong security response and were followed by the arbitrary arrest of bystanders without any investigation, according to numerous testimonies.
Court sessions against protesters in the Red Sea islands case continue despite the State Council’s decision to annul the maritime agreement. The transfer of sovereignty of the Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia proved to be hugely controversial among intellectuals, public figures, social media users, and activists.
