Court upholds prison sentences against teenager killers

CAIRO – 2 June 2020: Shbein el-Kom Appeal Court ruled to uphold the verdicts released against the four defendants who killed teenager Mahmoud el-Banna in 2019.

The murderers of 18-year old Mahmoud el-Banna were give prison sentences in December 2019. Three defendants were given the maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, and the fourth will be sentenced to 5 years. The main defendant in the case, Mohamed Rageh, was ascertained to be a minor, maintaining the trial to be held in a juvenile court.

"Mohamed Rageh is said to be less than 18 years old, according to the official documents submitted to the court," said Abdel Aziz Noseir, the lawyer of the victim Mahmoud el-Banna, who was stabbed to death by Rageh.

Accordingly, the maximum prison term Rageh might receive is 15 years.

"No accused person would be sentenced to death, life imprisonment, or forced labor if, at the time of committing the crime, he did not reach the age of 18 years," reads Article 111 of the Child Law of 2008.


What happened?

The accident took place when a group of teens harassed a girl in the street in Tala village in Menoufia governorate; the act stirred Banna’s anger, pushing him to interfere to defend the girl and condemn the boys. Later, Banna felt triggered to make a statement about the incident on his Facebook account, although he did not mention the boys’ names, describing the sexual harassment act as “not manly."

Night fell on a different village after Rageh induced Banna into a fight; he grabbed him while the second defendant puffed a burning material in his face. Banna’s friends heard his screams, and managed to rescue him, but he was chased back all the way to his home. The third defendant threatened Banna with a knife, while Rageh injured him in his cheeks and then stabbed him in his left thigh.

Social media users were moved by Banna's pictures, and inundated by the mourning posts; angry users called to bring perpetrators to justice. Hashtags like Rageh is a killer, Execute Rageh, and Bring Mahmoud El-Banna’s Right went viral.

The killing of Banna sent shocking waves across the country, with rising calls for the execution of the murderers of the “Martyr of Chivalry.”


Additional reporting by Nourhan Magdi