Hisham Barakat’s assassination trial timeline

CAIRO – 30 November 2018: After 41 months of the assassination of former Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat, the Court of Cassation upheld on Nov. 25 the death sentences against nine convicts in the case.

Barakat was killed in a car bomb attack targeting his convoy in Cairo on June 29, 2015. He was the highest-ranking state official to be killed by militants in a spate of attacks since the 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi.

The Prosecution Court has taken more than ten months to complete investigations of the case before referring it to the Court of Cassation.

The Public Prosecution had charged the defendants with joining the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group, making bombs and sneaking into Egypt to carry out terrorist attacks after receiving training at the hands of Hamas movement.

In May 2016, the Cairo Court of Cassation set June 17 to start the examination of challenges submitted by 67 defendants in the case. The defendants are challenging their death and ten-year jail sentences. During more than ten sessions, the court heard the testimony of 100 witnesses.

On April 1, 2017, the court heard the prosecutor's pleadings. During the hearing, the prosecutor urged the death penalty to be imposed on the accused.

On April 19, 2017, the Court of Cassation rejected appeals by 46 convicts in the same case, upholding their enlistment as terrorists for three years. The same court turned down challenges by 46 defendants against their placement on terrorist lists.

In July 2017, Cairo's Criminal Court sentenced 28 defendants to death for their conviction in the assassination of Barakat.

The court also sentenced 15 defendants to life imprisonment and eight others to 15 years in jail, while 15 defendants were sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Cairo Criminal Court sentenced 15 to death, eight to 15 years in prison, and 15 to 10 years in prison on August 22, 2017.