The Egyptian Court of Administrative Judiciary has rejected Monday a challenge that demands nullify death sentences, which have been already carried against six people by a military court in May, Youm7 reported.
On May 17, the Egyptian authorities executed six convicts after being sentenced to death in October 2014 in a military trial. The case is known in media as “the Arab Sharkas;” named after a town in Egypt’s Delta governorate of Qalyubia.
The convicts, some of whom allegedly belonged to the Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, were hanged to death for separate killings of police and military officers in March 2014.
On Aug. 26, 2014, the military court referred the death sentences of the six convicts to Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawki Allam for advice before the court rulings were ratified by Minister of Defense Sedki Sobhi on Nov. 11, 2014. The executed men’s relatives have challenged against the ratification.
Carrying out death sentence shall be ratified by the President. Moreover, per Article 79 of Egyptian Military Law, the President has the power to mandate a military commander to ratify military the rulings.
Former dean of Cairo University’s Faculty of Law Mahmoud Kibeish has previously told The Cairo Post that the families of the convicts would have been compensated in case the challenge was accepted.
