[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Egypt and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Egypt Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to egypt@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
Political Rights
Sisi forms the National Council to Confront Terrorism and Extremism The National Council to Confront Terrorism and Extremism was created by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday, three months after he had announced his intentions to form the council following the bombing of two churches in the cities of Alexandria and Tanta during Palm Sunday celebrations.
Egypt`s new anti-terrorism council to reform religious discourse and target political Islam: Sisi Egypt`s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree on 26 July officially establishing the National Council to Confront Terrorism and Extremism as part of a long-term plan to combat radical Islamism.
Video: On the arrest campaign targeting members of Egypt’s Uyghur community Egyptian police have arrested dozens of members of Egypt’s Uyghur community, many of whom are students at Al-Azhar University, over the last few weeks as part of a plan to deport them to China, where the students believe that they will be arrested by Chinese state authorities on accusations of belonging to terrorist groups.
Belahmar blocked, bringing total number of blocked websites to 127 Access to leftist website Belahmar was barred on Egyptian internet service providers on Monday, sixty days since the first blockages, bringing the total number of inaccessible websites to 127 according to data compiled by the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression.
Rights lawyer Khaled Ali denies charges of ‘public indecency’ in court session Ali faces charges of public indecency after he purportedly made a hand gesture deemed insulting to his opponents while celebrating a court case win in the legal battle around the maritime agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which ceded two Red Sea islands to the latter.
Court sentences 43 to life imprisonment, acquits 92 in ‘Cabinet clashes’ retrial Cairo Criminal Court sentenced forty-three defendants to life in prison on Tuesday, with nine minors receiving ten years imprisonment and one defendant sentenced to five years in prison, on charges of illegal assembly, violence and damaging public and private property, in a case popularly known as the “Cabinet clashes” trial that dates back to 2011.
Court issues 8 preliminary death sentences in Helwan Police Station case Preliminary death sentences were handed to eight defendants accused of storming Helwan Police Station earlier today. A final verdict is expected on 10 October, pending review by Egypt’s grand mufti.
235 ultras referred to military prosecution in Alexandria The Alexandria Public Prosecution referred 235 football fans to military prosecution on Thursday, according to lawyer Mohamed Hafez. The football fans, who belong to the Zamalek Club’s fan group Ultras White Knights, were accused of belonging to and leading an illegal organization, using terrorism to achieve this organization’s targets, possessing fireworks and attacking police personnel, among other charges.
Economy
Egypt`s Sisi says economic and social reform is the only way to preserve the state Egypt`s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Tuesday evening at the Fourth National Conference for Youth in Alexandria that economic and social reform is the only way to preserve the country and undermine attempts to turn Egypt into a failed state.
Update: AUC workers end strike after administration files report The remaining striking workers at the American University in Cairo ended their campus sit-in on Thursday and accepted the severance pay offered by the administration in hopes that the university would drop the reports filed against them to the police, according to an AUC employee.
Uber Troubles While Uber claims to foster a culture aimed at dealing with gendered violence and providing safety to riders, women in particular, increasing breaches shake the foundation of this narrative. And in Egypt, where safety is increasingly a commodity for purchase amid a collapsing social fabric, Uber troubles raise questions about how well the market logics of securitization work, when they pit profit and growth against a culture of safety and accountability.
Engineer dies after sustaining injuries at Aswan Cement plant, bringing death toll to 3 Eight workers at the Aswan Cement plant were detained after allegedly going on strike to demand an investigation regarding the plant’s safety measures following the accident, which occurred on Sunday when unidentified industrial material heated to a temperature of 1,200 degrees Celsius spilled into a worker area, resulting in the deaths of three workers.
Foreign Relations
Czech Republic requests to be informed of conclusions of Hurghada attack probe The Czech Foreign Ministry has requested to be informed of the conclusions of the investigation into the death of one of its nationals who was hospitalized after being stabbed at a Red Sea resort several weeks ago, Michaela Lagronová, according to the ministry’s spokesperson.
No retreat on demands to Qatar: Boycotting Arab nations The foreign ministers of four Arab nations – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE – said on Sunday that they will continue their boycott of Qatar and will not retreat on their demands, while stressing they would be ready for dialogue with the Gulf country if their demands are met.
UAE backs Egypt`s candidate for top UNESCO post The UAE will back Egypt’s candidate for the post of the director-general of UNESCO.
Negotiations on Ethiopian dam are ongoing: Egypt`s irrigation minister Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over technical concerns on Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam are still ongoing, according to Egypt’s irrigation minister.
Israeli measures at Al-Aqsa could exacerbate tensions in Jerusalem: Egypt FM at Arab League emergency meeting Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said on Thursday that the situation in Jerusalem could escalate if Israel continues to impose illegal security measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Egypt’s FM meets Libya’s PM, UN envoy to Libya in Paris following ceasefire agreement Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Libya’s Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and the United Nations’ envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame in Paris on Tuesday, a foreign affairs ministry statement released early Wednesday read.
Cairo to boost investment and trade ties with Jordan: PM Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said on Thursday at a meeting of a high-level Egyptian-Jordanian commission in Amman that his country aims to bolster its investment and economic ties with Jordan.
Domestic Security
Hassm denies claims that members were killed by police On Thursday, the militant group denied recent police claims announcing the killing of several Hassm members, referring to these allegations as “mere lies” in a statement.
Interior Ministry announces killing of 4 Badrashin attack suspects The Egyptian Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that four suspects accused of being involved in an attack on security forces in the Giza town of Badrashin earlier this month were killed in an armed exchange.
7 civilians killed in North Sinai militant attack as military campaign intensifies The Armed Forces has escalated its campaign against North Sinai-based militant groups, killing forty suspected militants and arresting five others, the Official Armed Forces Spokesperson announced on Tuesday.
Egyptian army halts truck smuggling explosive materials from mainland to North Sinai The Egyptian armed forces has foiled an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of explosive materials through one of the Suez Canal crossings to North Sinai, the army said on Sunday.
Egypt`s army thwarts car bomb attack on military unit in Alexandria Egyptian armed forces have thwarted a terrorist attack targeting a military unit in the coastal city of Alexandria, a military spokesman said in a statement late on Wednesday.
Egypt`s Sisi hails army efforts in thwarting terrorist attacks Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi hailed on Saturday the armed forces for their efforts in foiling several terrorist attacks targeting military locations.
Egyptian in Red Sea knife attack was supporter of Islamic State group: Sources An Egyptian man who stabbed three foreign tourists to death and wounded three more earlier this month at a Red Sea resort had tried to join Islamic State group, according to a police investigation, two security sources said on Sunday.
Two men arrested for killing five policemen in Giza checkpoint attack Two men were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly killing five policemen in a terrorist attack on a security checkpoint in Giza governorate in mid-July.
4 terrorists behind Giza attack on security checkpoint killed in shootout with police: Ministry Egypt’s interior ministry said on Wednesday that security forces have killed four terrorists and arrested two in two separate raids in Giza targeting those behind an attack on a checkpoint in mid-July that killed five security personnel.
From Jadaliyya Egypt
صدر حديثا: الصراع على السلطة الدستورية: دور المحكمة الدستورية العليا في السياسة المصرية Dr. Tamer Moustafa, Professor of International Studies at Simon Fraser University, Canada provides a detailed analysis of the intersection of law and politics in Egypt, with particular emphasis on the Supreme Constitutional Court in his recently translated book, The Struggle for Constitutional Authority: The role of the Supreme Constitutional Court in Egyptian politics.
Arabic
ماذا تمثل قاعدة محمد نجيب للترسانة الدفاعية المصرية؟ The newly established Mohamed Naguib military base launched in northwest Egypt on Saturday indicates a preemptive strategic orientation of Egypt’s defensive arsenals toward its regional policy.
"أوراق من اليسار المصري: وثيقة "طبيعة السلطة البرجوازية في مصر Bel-Ahmar publishes an Egyptian left movement document that dates back to 1970 and that analyzes the post-1952 regime trajectories and how Egypt’s communist movement developed relations with Nasser regime.
تنظيم بلا اسم: طريق مجموعة المبتدئين لاغتيال النائب العام Mada Masr looks at how a number of elements separated from the Muslim Brotherhood organization to form an amateur terrorist group and the way they planned to assassinate the General Prosecutor Hisham Barakat.
قانون الأزهر الجديد: هل قلت «مكافحة الكراهية»؟ Although Al-Azhar embraced a new bill to combat hatred and violence in the name of religion, it still has not set a clear strategy to reform the religious discourse while it continues to exclude researchers who -allegedly- defame Islam.
أزمة القضاة والسيسي تكبر: عمارة يطعن في قانون السلطة القضائية The objection for the judicial bodies’ law which gave the president the full prerogative to appoint judges continues as judges voice their anger toward cancelling seniority appointment.
السيسي يدعو إلى «الصبر»... وإلى «التعايش في إسرائيل» Sisi’s speech in the fourth Youth Conference has not addressed the country’s troubled domestic affairs.
بعد تشكيله.. 7 عقبات في طريق مجلس مكافحة الإرهاب The president decree to launch a National Council for Combating Terrorism and Extremism was met with heavy criticism over the capacity of the body to fight terrorism.
حقوقيون يطالبون بإصدار قانون يلزم الدولة بتعويض ضحايا الإرهاب A number of activists called on the parliament to enact the constitutional provision to compensate the victims of terrorism.
خبراء: ملف حقوق الإنسان أداة سياسية للضغط على مصر.. وليس لها تأثير Analysts discuss how mutual states interests keep a lid on human rights abuse in Egypt.
لماذا يشعر سكان السلوم أن الدولة المصرية تضطهدهم؟ Al Sallum city is one of the many border cities that experience severe marginalization amid government’s negligence.
لماذا لم يعد السيسي يهتم بتبرير تصفية وتعذيب المعارضين؟ The regime has become indifferent toward public accusations of torture and killing of government opponents.
في الذكرى الرابعة للتفويض..خبراء: الإرهاب المحتمل أصبح واقعا Four years after popular mandate to Sisi to confront violence and terrorism, terror threats became more challenging and wide-spread across Egypt.
أزمة تسعير الدواء».. مشادات الصيادلة والمرضى تفضى إلى الموت« Prescription drug prices continue to spur violent altercations between pharmacists and citizens amid the inaction of the Ministry of Health to provide affordable pricing.
القتل خارج القانون».. إحصائيات مخيفة واتهامات تلاحق الداخلية« Although Al-Azhar embraced a new bill to combat hatred and violence in the name of religion, it still has not set a clear strategy to reform the religious discourse while it continues to exclude researchers who -allegedly- defame Islam.
أزمة القضاة والسيسي تكبر: عمارة يطعن في قانون السلطة القضائية The objection for the judicial bodies’ law which gave the president the full prerogative to appoint judges continues as judges voice their anger toward cancelling seniority appointment.
»السيسي يدعو إلى «الصبر»... وإلى «التعايش في إسرائيل Sisi’s speech in the fourth Youth Conference has not addressed the country’s troubled domestic affairs.
بعد تشكيله.. 7 عقبات في طريق مجلس مكافحة الإرهاب The president decree to launch a National Council for Combating Terrorism and Extremism was met with heavy criticism over the capacity of the body to fight terrorism.
حقوقيون يطالبون بإصدار قانون يلزم الدولة بتعويض ضحايا الإرهاب A number of activists called on the parliament to enact the constitutional provision to compensate the victims of terrorism.
خبراء: ملف حقوق الإنسان أداة سياسية للضغط على مصر.. وليس لها تأثير Analysts discuss how mutual states interests keep a lid on human rights abuse in Egypt.
لماذا يشعر سكان السلوم أن الدولة المصرية تضطهدهم؟ Al Sallum city is one of the many border cities that experience severe marginalization amid government’s negligence.
لماذا لم يعد السيسي يهتم بتبرير تصفية وتعذيب المعارضين؟ The regime has become indifferent toward public accusations of torture and killing of government opponents.
في الذكرى الرابعة للتفويض..خبراء: الإرهاب المحتمل أصبح واقعا Four years after popular mandate to Sisi to confront violence and terrorism, terror threats became more challenging and wide-spread across Egypt.
أزمة تسعير الدواء».. مشادات الصيادلة والمرضى تفضى إلى الموت« Prescription drug prices continue to spur violent altercations between pharmacists and citizens amid the inaction of the Ministry of Health to provide affordable pricing.
القتل خارج القانون».. إحصائيات مخيفة واتهامات تلاحق الداخلية« Statistics show how the Interior Ministry is implicated in extrajudicial killings under the pretext of eliminating terrorist elements.
حقوقيون: اعتبار المفقود ميتًا بعد 30 يومًا بوابة جحيم لتمرير الاختفاء القسري Activists expressed their concern over the president approval of the amendments to the Personal Status Law which considers a missing person dead after thirty days, claiming that it would trivialize the enforced disappearance phenomena.
تقرير.. كيف يواجه مجلس إدارة البورصة الجديد تحديات السوق؟ The report analyses the role of the new stock exchange board to meet the challenges of the global stock market.
مذكرة رسمية تطالب «الصحفيين» بحل أزمة المواقع المحجوبة Journalists issued an official note urging the Press Syndicate to seek a solution to the blocking of news websites in Egypt.
مصر: "هيئة الدفاع الوطني" جهاز أمني جديد تابع للرئيس Sisi will establish a National Defense Commission, an intelligence body with broad powers that will serve under the supervision of the president, informed sources revealed.
هل أصبح إعلام مصر في قبضة الجيش؟ The article examines the military control over the media in the post-3 July 2013 coup.