Bassem Ouda Explained

Office:Minister of Supply and Internal Trade
Primeminister:Hesham Qandil
Predecessor:Zeid Mohamed
Successor:Muhamed Abu Shadi
Term Start:5 January 2013
Term End:4 July 2013
Birth Date:16 March 1970
Party:Freedom and Justice Party
Alma Mater:Cairo University
Nationality:Egyptian

Bassem Kamal Mohamed Ouda (Arabic: باسم كمال محمد عودة, born 16 April 1970), commonly known as Bassem Ouda, is an Egyptian politician who is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP). He served as Egypt's Minister of Supply and Interior Trade between January and July 2013, when he resigned due to the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état. He was later arrested, tried and sentenced to life imprisonment in a politically motivated trial.[1]

Early life

Bassem Kamal Mohamed Ouda was born in Algeria in 1970.[2]

Career

Ouda was one of the candidates for the secretariat of the FJP in 2011.[3] He was the head of the fuel file in President Mohamed Morsi's 100-day plan during the latter's presidential champaign.[4] He also heads the energy committee of the FJP.[4]

Ouda was appointed Minister of Supply and Interior Trade on 5 January 2013 in a government reshuffle.[5] Ouda replaced Zeid Mohamed in the post. Ouda was one of the FJP members serving in the cabinet that is headed by Prime Minister Hesham Qandil.[6] [7] He and other FJP members in the cabinet resigned from office on 4 July 2013 following the 2013 coup d'état in Egypt.[8] Ouda's term officially ended on 16 July 2013 when the interim government led by Hazem Al Beblawi was formed.[9]

Post-coup arrest and trial

On November 12th 2013, Egyptian security forces arrested Ouda on accusation of incitement of violence. [10]

First Case

On July 19th 2014, an initial death sentence ruling was made against a number of previous members and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in a case known as "Masjid Al-Istqama incident". However the Grand Mufti of Egypt refused to certify the ruling, hence the case was sent back to court. [11]

On January 10th 2019, the Giza criminal court found Ouda, and 6 other individuals, not guilty in the "Masjid Al-Istiqama Incident" case during the final ruling. [12]

Second Case

A second case was brought against Ouda alongside 45 others, including the then Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Badie, for participating in protests in Rabaa square. On October 8th 2018, Ouda was found guilty by the Giza criminal court and was sentenced to life imprisonment along with 31 others, 12 were sentenced to death, including Badie, and only 3 were found not guilty by the court. [13]

On June 14th 2021, The Court of Cassation upheld the decision against all 43 individuals including Bassem Ouda. [14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020-07-11. 18 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200518175715/https://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/1358467. ar. قيادات الإخوان في «أحداث مسجد الاستقامة»: «من المؤبد للبراءة» (تسلسل زمني) المصري اليوم. www.almasryalyoum.com.
  2. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Detention/Opinions/Session83/A_HRC_WGAD_2018_87.pdf Opinion No. 87/2018 concerning Salah-Eldeen Abdel-Haleem Soltan, Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud Mohamed al-Yamani and Bassem Kamal Mohamed Ouda (Egypt)
  3. News: Freedom and Justice Party Elections in Giza. 30 January 2013. Ikhwan Web. 23 May 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121031022049/http://ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=28617. 31 October 2012.
  4. News: Egypt's cabinet reshuffle to see new interior, finance ministers. 30 January 2013. Ahram Online. 5 January 2013. MENA.
  5. News: Egypt replaces 10 ministers, including interior, in Cabinet reshuffle. 30 January 2013. Al Arabiya. 5 January 2013.
  6. News: Bradley Hope. Morsi unveils cabinet reshuffle as economic crisis bites . 30 January 2013. The National. 7 January 2013.
  7. News: Mahmoud Fouly. Egypt's 10-minister cabinet reshuffle meets with opposition dissatisfaction. https://web.archive.org/web/20130109044436/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-01/07/c_132084440.htm. dead. 9 January 2013. 3 February 2013. Xinhua News Agency. 6 January 2013.
  8. News: Egypt Brotherhood ministers present official resignations. 18 July 2013. Ahram Online. 4 July 2013.
  9. News: Abigail Hauslohner. Interim Egyptian cabinet sworn in. 16 July 2013. The Washington Post. 16 July 2013. Cairo.
  10. http://www.el-balad.com/674750 اعتقال باسم عودة
  11. اعادة احالة أوراق مرشد الاخوان للمفتي http://www.alrai.com/article/662525.html
  12. Web site: 2020-07-11. 18 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200518175715/https://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/1358467. ar. قيادات الإخوان في «أحداث مسجد الاستقامة»: «من المؤبد للبراءة» (تسلسل زمني) المصري اليوم. www.almasryalyoum.com.
  13. Web site: 2021-06-27. 2020-01-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20200113064106/http://gate.ahram.org.eg:80/News/2009478.aspx. الحكم على بديع و46 آخرين بالسجن المؤبد في فض اعتصام رابعة. بوابة الأهرام.
  14. Web site: 2021-06-27. 2021-06-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20210616035113/https://arabic.cnn.com/middle-east/article/2021/06/14/egyptian-court-egypt-muslim-brotherhood-rabaa-dispersal-execution. 2021-06-14. ar. محكمة مصرية تؤيد إعدام 12 من قيادات الإخوان.. ومؤبد لـ31 في "فض رابعة". CNN Arabic.