On Monday the supreme state security emergency court of Tanta convicted 22 defendants in connection with the April 6 national strike this year. Sentences ranged from 3-5 years, and included charges of assaulting police officers, possession of devices used for assault, and theft. The national strike was called for to protest excessive price hikes, and had peacefully taken place all across Egypt but had turned violent in the city of Al Mahalla, where clashes between citizens and security left at least 2 dead, including a child who was witnessing the events from his apartment balcony and who was reportedly accidentally shot by security gunfire. In a press release this week, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemned the trial of the Mahalla defendants in the state security emergency court, noting that decisions of that court cannot be appealed to the normal Appellate Court. ANHRI called for the re-trial of the defendants in a normal civilian criminal court, where due process would be observed, including the right to an appeal, considered integral to the right to a fair trial.