What is the capacity of the Egyptian judiciary, in its present form, to deliver justice, let alone transitional justice? The Court Case Spotlight is an ever-expanding, interactive tool tracking the capacity and capability of the judiciary by highlighting over 50 representative cases in the Egyptian judiciary.
What is the capacity of the Egyptian state, in its present form, to deliver accurate and effective truth seeking? Fact-Finding Facts Sheets is a tool that provides a comprehensive, in-depth assessment of the truth-seeking initiatives established in Egypt by the executive branch of government and the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) since January 25, 2011, to the present day.
Earlier this month, Judge Muhammad Shereen Fahmy of the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma to 15 years in prison and a fine of six million Egyptian pounds
In the four years since the truth commission was formed, Tunisia’s most prominent political forces—known among Tunisians as “the two sheikhs”—have worked to undermine transitional justice.
Many observers found it ironic when Egypt’s House of Representatives preliminarily approved a draft law that would grant amnesties to a designated cadre of high-ranking Egyptian military officers.
Seven years after Tunisia’s revolution, some long-awaited steps in transitional justice have been made, but recent setbacks are threatening the potential for substantial progress.
The common court system is made up of three tiers: courts of first instance, courts of appeal, and the Court of Cassation. The structure and jurisdiction of the common court system is determined by the Judicial Authority Law, the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Civil and Commercial Procedure Code.
In Egypt, truth-seeking initiatives have taken different forms, enjoyed different mandates, and maintained different degrees of authority. The success of these initiatives has varied depending on political will, independence, ability to follow through, and many other factors.
On October 9, 2011, thousands of peaceful protesters marched toward the Maspero building, the headquarters of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, to demonstrate against the demolition of St. George
Five years ago today, security forces dispersed the protest camp at Raba’a al-Adaweya Square, killing at least 607–932 protesters.
Regardless of the name they are given, the structure they take, and the scope they adopt, the purpose of truth-seeking measures is often the same: to construct a narrative about the period of conflict or repression.
Even a well-functioning domestic judiciary may not necessarily result in accountability for every abuse committed. For this reason, domestic trials cannot be the only transitional justice mechanism relied on by a country.
Depending on the political context following a period of repression and conflict, amnesties may be able to serve as a complementary transitional justice tool to support other mechanisms of justice; however, if abused, they can entirely fail to guarantee justice for the victims of crimes and further a culture of impunity.
TIMEP’s Transitional Justice Project (TJP) is an innovative, timely project that addresses crucial issues at the heart of the transitions in the Middle East and fills an important knowledge gap on these issues. The project, founded by Legal and Judicial Director Mai El-Sadany and supported by TIMEP staff, enables a much-needed dialogue on the definition and role of transitional justice in the countries of the Arab world, the potential shapes that such transitional justice policies may take, the mechanisms of transitional justice that have already been attempted in the region, and the capacity and willingness of the society, state, and international community to see transitional justice policies through to their fruition.
An introduction and detailed methodology for the project is available here.