Swift Judicial Rulings on "State Security" Files

As a practical translation of the move to expedite judicial resolutions in cases related to state security, the State Security Department at the Court of Appeal achieved a notable milestone in handling appeals referred to it. In less than four months, it issued final, binding, and non-appealable judgments in 373 out of 379 appeals, in addition to issuing three preliminary rulings, raising the completion rate to 98 percent. This serves as an indicator of the swift resolution of these cases with their special security nature, while preserving legal guarantees and defense rights.

Statistics from the Supreme Council of the Judiciary showed that the Court of Appeal, represented by the State Security and Terrorism Crimes Department, resolved 373 appeals with final, binding, and non-appealable judgments out of a total of 379, between April 9 and July 30 of last year, reaching a resolution rate of 98 percent.

The department also exercised its jurisdiction over appeals referred to it by other appeal departments, reviewing 98 appeals and resolving all of them, achieving a 100 percent resolution rate.

The department reviewed 281 appeals against judgments issued by the State Security Criminal Court, resolving 275 of them. It postponed three appeals to announce the verdicts to the defendants and enable them to attend and present their defenses, reserved three appeals for judgment in September, and issued three preliminary rulings, bringing the overall resolution rate to 98 percent.

Since assuming its jurisdiction, the department has taken into account the special procedural system governing litigation in state security and terrorism crimes, ensuring a balance between guaranteeing the right to defense and enabling parties to present their defenses as prescribed by law, and ensuring swift resolution and stability of judgments in these cases with their special security nature. This approach enhances confidence in justice and ensures the prescribed legal guarantees.