The Cairo Criminal Court postponed on Sunday the trial of renowned activist and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah and 24 others to 11 June.According to state-owned Al-Ahram, the trial was postponed because the judge assigned to the case had fallen ill.
Abdel Fattah is accused, along with 24 others, of violating the highly controversial Protest Law, “thuggery”, acquiring weapons during a protest, illegal assembly, blocking roads and attacking a police officer and stealing his radio.
On 28 November 2013, Abdel Fattah was arrested from his place of residence for protesting Article 198 of the constitution, which allows for the military trial of civilians under certain circumstances. The protest, which the defendants described as peaceful, took place in front of the Shura Council on 26 November and was organised by the No Military Trials for Civilians group.
Several groups attended the protest, including the 6 April Youth Movement (Democratic Front) and the Revolutionary Socialists.
Abdel Fattah and co-defendant Ahmed Abdel Rahman were held in custody until March 2014, when they were released on bail. The 23 other defendants were released on bail on 4 December 2013.
On 17 May 2014, The Cairo Court of Appeals denied a request filed by the activist for the recusal of the bench in his case and fined him EGP 5,000.
The activist demanded the recusal of the bench because he and his lawyers previously filed complaints against the judge handling his case, who Abdel Fattah accused of participating in the forging of the 2005 parliamentary election results.
Abdel Fattah was nicknamed “the detainee of all eras” by fellow activists. In 2006, Abdel Fattah was arrested under Mubarak after participating in demonstrations calling for an independent judiciary. He was detained in December 2011 during rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on charges of involvement in a “terrorist plot” during the 9 October 2011 Maspero violence incident, when army forces attacked a Coptic protest. In March 2013 he was arrested on charges of insulting Islam and former President Mohamed Morsi.
