CENTER FOR TRADE UNION & WORKERS SERVICES

( CTUWS )
Honored the French Republic’s Human Rights Prize

Postponing the Military Court Hearing for the Eight Workers

of the Military Factory #99 to Next Saturday

Egypt, CTUWS, on August 25, 2010: Today the Military Court, in which eight workers of the Military
Factory #99 of Helwan Engineering Industries Company have been judged, decided to postpone the court
hearing to the next Saturday, August 28, 2010.

The court bench decided to transfer the accusation of Tark Sayed Mahmud, one of the eight workers, for
being disclosed military secrets, to the Military Operations Room to decide whether what Tark had
mentioned to a news website is considered to be a disclosing of military secrets or not.

Meanwhile the advocate for Ayman Taher, another one of the eight workers, asked to transfer him to the
hospital for having heart problem, however the court bench decided that such decision is taken due to the
jails department.

In the court hearing, Rahma Refaat, the lawyer and programs coordinator at CTUWS, asked for releasing
the eight workers, because they are civilian workers and not subject to military laws.

On August 3, 2010, after the explosion of Nitrogen tube (boiler) in the Military Factory #99 which led to
the death of a worker, Ahmed Abdelhady, and the injury of six workers, the workers of factory gathered,
furiously protesting against factory's heads. After the workers' protest, the eight workers had been
arrested.

On August 14, 2010, the Military Prosecution ordered to put the eight workers into jail for four days to
continue the investigation process, then extended those four days to another four, and suddenly the eight
workers have been sent to the Military Court.

This the second time to judging workers in front of a military court, the first one was after the famous
strike of Kafr Eldawar workers who protested on August 12, 1952 for increasing wages and bonuses,
when 13 workers had been judged by a military court. Eleven received prison sentences, while Mustafa
Khamis and Muhammed al- Baqri were sentenced to death and executed on September 7, 1952.

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Egypt.. Helwan- Mohammed Said Ahmed st.- Petrogas buildings- Alexandria building
P.O. Box. 114 Helwan Tel & Fax : (202) 5593932/5593929
E-mail: ctuws.ctuws@gmail.com
Web site: www.ctuws.com