[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
Defense lawyers say move to hold remote detention renewal sessions undermines due process
The Justice Ministry launched a new plan on Sunday to conduct detention renewals electronically instead of holding in-person court sessions, a move defense lawyers say will undermine basic due process rights.
Tora prisoners stage collective protest due to unprecedented clampdown
Hundreds of prisoners at Tora Reception prison in Cairo have been protesting since Friday due to grave mistreatment in the past two weeks, according to two sources who spoke to Mada Masr, one of whom is a human rights lawyer who has been following the events.
Giza court orders release of satirist Shady Abu Zeid with probationary measures
A Giza criminal court has ordered on Saturday the release of satirist Shady Abu Zeid with probationary measures after two years in detention on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
US legislators call on Egypt’s el-Sisi to release prisoners
More than fifty United States politicians are calling on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to release activists, journalists, lawyers, and prisoners of conscience.
Former head of Constitutional Court elected as speaker of Egypt's Senate with 287 out of 300 votes
Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek, the former head of the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC), assumed on Sunday the position of speaker of Egypt's newly-elected senate.
Hundreds of workers at the Workers Cultural Foundation and its affiliated Workers University staged a sit-in on Saturday to demand receipt of their salaries and to petition for oversight of the university to be removed from the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF), according to three workers who spoke to Mada Masr, one of whom is the head of the trade union committee for the foundation and university.
Egypt licenses 100 churches, service buildings: Cabinet
A cabinet committee in charge of licensing churches operating without a permit has legalized the status of forty-five churches and fifty-five service buildings since May, the cabinet’s spokesman, Nader Saad, said.
Journalist Basma Mostafa disappears in Luxor, then brought before State Security Prosecution
Journalist Basma Mostafa went missing on Saturday while doing reporting in Luxor, the independent news website al-Manassa reported in the early hours of Sunday morning. After her whereabouts were unknown for more than twenty-four hours, Mostafa, who has previously contributed to Mada Masr, appeared on Sunday before State Security Prosecution in Cairo, according to her lawyer.
Walid Shawky ‘rotated’ into new case after 2 years in remand detention
Walid Shawky, a dentist and former member of the April 6 Youth Movement whose whereabouts have been unknown for over a month, appeared before the State Security Prosecution on Tuesday which charged him in a new case and ordered him to be held in remand detention for fifteen days, according to lawyer Nabih al-Ganady.
Awamiyah under siege: Residents of Luxor village detail events after murder of Ewais al-Rawy
The Luxor village of Awamiyah has been under an effective siege for several days in the wake of the tensions and protests that engulfed the area after a police officer killed thirty-eight-year-old Ewais Abdel Hamid al-Rawy, an employee at the Luxor International Hospital and father of two children, in front of his home at dawn on Wednesday, according to four Awamiyah residents, including Rawy’s neighbors and friends.
Egyptian Iron and Steel Company mines to be spun off despite worker objections
After a month-long dispute, the state-owned Egyptian Iron and Steel Company formally agreed on Monday to hand over four mining and quarrying sites to a new corporate entity despite vocal opposition from workers, according to a company statement.
Crackdown on illegal housing leaves some Egyptians struggling to pay fees
Officials say that the law introduced last year is part of a crackdown on illegal buildings that violate safety standards, hinder traffic and development, and encroach on arable land. It is part of a drive by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to upgrade infrastructure and housing and deal with decades of haphazard construction that accelerated after a 2011 uprising.
Sisi, Public Prosecution acknowledge protests after week of silence, 68 minors released
One year after rare protests that led to the largest arrest campaign since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took office, protesters returned to the streets last week in a handful of governorates. However, security forces were quick to disperse them, arresting at least four hundred people, including many minors.
The Public Prosecution’s crusade against social media
For the past year, the public prosecutor’s office has been conducting a surveillance campaign of social media platforms in Egypt. The government body has monitored user content, including written posts, pictures and video, targeted and prosecuted violators, doled out instructions on proper parenting and upholding “family values” and even laid out a “code of conduct” for social media users to follow.
Egypt court sentences six to death for 2016 killing of policemen in Sharqiya
Zagazig criminal court in the Nile Delta handed death sentences to six members of the terrorist-designated Muslim Brotherhood over killing of policemen in Sharqiya governorate in 2016.
As the Nation’s Future Party put the finishing touches on its choice for who will stand in House of Representatives elections slated for late October, many were unhappy with that crude process that ensured the state-backed party takes the most seats in the new legislative body.
Foreign Policy
Egypt stresses to Germany rejection of 'territorial expansion' by some actors in east Mediterranean
Egypt stressed to Germany on Saturday its rejection of the policy of territorial expansion and creation of tension adopted by some regional players in the east Mediterranean.
Egypt says settlement expansion by Israel in occupied West Bank a 'violation of int'l legitimacy'
Egypt said on Saturday that a settlement expansion by Israel in the occupied West Bank is a “violation of international legitimacy and resolutions by the UN Security Council.”
Amid ‘devolution’ in Libyan peace process, Egypt looks to leave mark on political-military landscape
At the inaugural session on Sunday, Egypt’s General Intelligence Service Director Abbas Kamel presented Cairo as a mediator open to all parties who are aiming to “resolve the crisis without bias,” emphasizing the need to move beyond differences, according to press statements.
Head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service discusses developments in Libya with US diplomats
The meeting discussed how to support the Libyan factions in order to end the current crisis in the war-torn country, speed up a political solution, unify the Libyan institutions, and resume the exports of oil and distributing its revenues in a fair manner.
Egypt's FM calls on international community to honour commitment in Libya
Egypt urged the international community on Monday to implement the conclusions of the Berlin Conference on Libya to push the Libyan parties to respect their commitments, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said during a teleconference with the United Nations and Germany as a follow-up meeting for the Berlin Conference.
Egypt urges commitment to nuclear-weapon-free zone in Middle East: FM
Egypt believes the total elimination of nuclear weapons, under international inspection, is necessary to establish peace, security, and sustainable development, said foreign minister Sameh Shoukry during his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Turkey's statements on Egypt are 'surprising, contradictory,' says Egypt's foreign minister
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Thursday that the statements of some Turkish officials about Egypt are "surprising and contradictory.”
Egypt, France conduct joint naval drills in Mediterranean Sea
A statement by the official spokesperson of the Egyptian Armed Forces said on Thursday that the naval drills come in light of the Armed Forces General Command’s plan to raise the level of combat training and exchange expertise with the armed forces of Egypt’s friendly countries.
Economy
Egypt's Suez Canal saw traffic increase year-on-year in 9M 2020
A total of 14,019 ships passed through the Suez Canal between January and September 2020, or 165 more vessels than in the same period last year, the canal authority's chairman Osama Rabie told Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at a meeting on Friday.
Amid heightened scrutiny on the debt-saddled public business sector, a plan to inject revenue into one of Egypt’s oldest state-owned companies may be headed off the rails.
Domestic Security
Almost seventy days after being displaced when Province of Sinai militants seized control of their villages, and weathering subsequent unfilled promises from the armed forces that they would be able to return swiftly, the residents of four villages in the Bir al-Abd region of North Sinai made their way home last week amid jubilation and a military escort.
Egypt police kill two terrorists in North Sinai shootout: Ministry
Two terrorists have been killed in a shootout with police in North Sinai, Egypt’s Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Tuesday.
Death of a woman in Cairo suburb sparks anger in Egypt
Egyptian police have arrested at least one of the three alleged perpetrators involved in the killing of a young woman in a Cairo suburb on Tuesday night in an incident that sparked anger across the country.
Egypt faces major challenge in balancing between water resources and needs: Minister
Egypt is facing a major challenge in balancing between its water resources and needs, especially with around ninety-seven percent of its water resources flowing in from outside its borders, Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Aty said on Sunday.
Egypt's security forces kill two terrorists in Qalioubiya
Egypt's security forces killed two “extremely dangerous terrorists” after an exchange of fire in Qalioubiya, north of Cairo, the interior ministry said in a statement on Monday.
From Jadaliyya
جمال عبد الناصر: الشخصية الشامخة التي تركت خلفها إرثا متناقضاً
.Joel Beinin writes about Gamal Abdel Nasser’s controversial legacy
Beyond Pan-Arabism: Suez and Afro-Asian Solidarity in Abdel Nasser’s Egypt
Reem Abul-Fadl writes about the politics of solidarity and identity under Nasser.
Cleft Capitalism: A Conversation with Amr Adly
Amr Adly talks about his latest book, Cleft Capitalism: The Social Origins of Failed Market Making in Egypt, with Marc Lynch. The book explores why market-based economic development failed to meet expectations in Egypt.
Arabic
«نزع الملكية» وليس «المقاول».. لماذا تظاهر أهالي غرب سهيل
Residents of the Aswan village of Gharb Suhail took to the streets after comments made by Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir, denying compensation to land holders.
الديون تلتهم 50% من إيرادات مصر بالموازنة الحالية
Egypt’s ratio of external debt reached seventeen percent over the past year, the highest in the MENA region.
صحفيون خلف الجدران: وقائع مختلفة وتهم متشابهة
Several journalists have been arrested over the past three months, accused of spreading “false news,” misusing social media and helping a terrorist organization.
من «لايكي» للسجن: مُدانون بالاعتداء على «أخلاق الدولة»
The article discusses the state crackdown on female social media influencers who have been arrested for "debauchery" and "violating Egyptian family values" charges.