Four-year-old Egyptian toddler Ahmed Mansour Karni was amongst 116 defendants sentenced last Tuesday to life in prison. The toddler was charged with an absurd series of murders, attempted murders, and destruction of state property – crimes that all happened before his second birthday. Authorities are blaming the situation on a clerical error.
Speaking on a DreamTV broadcast Sunday night, Karni's father said the nightmare began in January 2014, when police were investigating the crimes in question. Defense attorney Faisal al-Sayed, who showed up to Sunday night's TV broadcast alongside the boy's father, said Karni's name was accidentally added to the case when authorities recieved a tip pointing to a similarly-named 16-year old, Ahmed Mansour.
Since then, al-Sayed said the Cairo military court in charge of the case has ignored requests to remove Karni’s name from the indictment, even after recieving the toddler's birth certificate as proof of his identity. "This proves that the judge did not read the case," al-Sayed told the Jerusalem Post.
Officials are trying to cover up for the huge mistake. According to Egyptian Streets, Interior Ministry spokesperson Abu-Bakr Abdel-Karim claimed the toddler had been cleared of all charges in 2015, when authorities realized the name mix-up. Apparently, police had meant to detain the young boy’s uncle – a man named Ahmed Korani Ali. “The names will be corrected,” spokesman Abdel-Karim promised on a phone call to Sunday night's DreamTV broadcast.
People aren't buying Abdel-Karim's excuse. Egyptian lawyer Mohammed Abu Huraira responded angrily, writing in a statement that “There is no justice in Egypt.” Others posted to social media, calling the court's decision “crazy” and “ridiculous."
The toddler's father has pleaded for his son to stay at home, breaking down in tears during Sunday's TV broadcast while Karni slept peacefully in his lap.
