Jailed presidential hopeful Sami Anan 'could face death penalty' for possession of military documents

A legal expert has claimed that Sami Anan could face the death penalty for possessing military documents he threatened to use as blackmail, which allegedly contain information implicating Egyptian leaders.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

15 February, 2018

A crackdown on political opposition has tightened in the run-up to the presidential election [Getty]

A leading professor of international law said that imprisoned Egyptian presidential hopeful Sami Anan could face the death penalty, after his aide threatened to divulge military secrets from documents Anan was in possession of, should he be mistreated in detention.

Ayman Salameh told TV channel MBC Egypt during an interview on Tuesday evening that if Hisham Geneina's claims are true, the fact that Anan was in possession of such documents without army authorisation, even if he did not show them to any foreign agents, could warrant the death penalty.

Geneina was arrested by the Egyptian authorities in his Cairo home on Tuesday, after announcing the damning material, purported to implicate current Egyptian leaders in crimes committed by the military regime since the January 25 revolution, was being held in a "secure" place abroad, and could be released if any harm came to Anan.

"[Anan] has documents and evidence regarding all the major events in the country... they of course would change the course and condemn many," he said.

The documents Anan is claimed to have possessed "revolve around political events and crises Egyptian society has passed through" since the January 2011 uprising, Geneina said.

The Egyptian army announced on Monday it was investigating Anan and Geneina over their claims of being in possession of such documents.

Anan, who was originally detained after announcing his bid for the Egyptian presidency, is currently being held at a military prison in Hikestep and has been subject to four hearings, military sources told The New Arab, adding that he had recently been transferred to solidarity confinement.