[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
A decision to remove six lawyers from their professional syndicate due to their placement on the state terrorism list was upheld by the Supreme Administrative Court on Saturday.
Cassation Court upholds death sentences against 21 defendants of Ansar Beit Maqdes group
The Cassation Court upheld on Thursday death sentences against twenty-one defendants of Ansar Beit al-Maqdes terror group over terrorism-related charges.
EIPR renews its demands for the release of Coptic activist Ramy Kamel, head of the Maspero Youth Foundation for Human Rights, and the dropping of all charges fabricated against him without evidence, two years after his arrest on November 23, 2019, and his remand detention pending case No. 1475 of the year 2019.
On November 20, 2021, the Diarb Negm Misdemeanor Court acquitted Tariq Youssef Mustafa, a member of the Constitution Party, in Case No. 15536 of 2021, Diarb Negm misdemeanor, in which he was accused of evading precautionary measures.
Egyptian authorities should cease the harassment and persecution of prominent human rights defender and journalist, Hossam Bahgat, who faces abusive charges intended to punish him solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression and his human rights activism, forty-six human rights organizations said today.
Egypt: Gender-based violence against women and girls in North Sinai by the State and armed groups
Egyptian Front for Human Rights documented gender-based violence (GBV) against women and girls, that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, in North Sinai by State and the armed group: Wilayat Sinai. The report is based on interviews with four lawyers of twenty-three female defendants facing charges of joining and/or funding Wilayat Sinai in three cases before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in 2018 and 2019, as well as an interview with one local Sinai researcher and desk review of international human rights organizations’ documentation.
Foreign Policy
The ‘Egypt Papers’: Here is what we know so far
Over the past week, the investigative French platform Disclose has published a series of stories on Egypt-French relations dubbed the “Egypt-Papers.” The stories hone in on arms and spytech deals between the two countries, as well as a joint counterterrorism mission from 2016 to 2018 that resulted in at least nineteen airstrikes on the Egyptian-Libyan border.
Egypt shows flexibility in GERD talks, while Ethiopia maneuvers: Irrigation Minister
Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Aty, has said that Egypt has shown flexibility during the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), due to its desire to reach a fair and legally binding agreement regarding the filling and operation of the dam.
Shoukry participates in Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee to discuss assistance to Palestinians
Shoukry urged that the international community should play its role in providing an environment for resuming the negotiating process between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, leading to a comprehensive settlement based on the decisions of international legitimacy and relevant Security Council resolutions.
Egypt confirms support for UNRWA to continue serving Palestinian refugees
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry participated on Tuesday in the international ministerial conference on the United Nations Ministerial Agency for Palestine Refusals (UNRWA), headed by Jordan and Sweden, in Brussels.
Egypt's Sisi underscores territorial integrity as he meets with head of Libyan Presidential Council
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi on the sidelines of the COMESA summit in the New Administrative Capital on Tuesday.
Egypt hopes Sudanese political agreement 'to achieve sustainable stability'
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement Sunday welcoming the signing of the political agreement between Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, and Interim Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok.
Egypt's president, Bahraini king's advisor agree to intensify coordination on facing Arab challenges
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi agreed with Bahraini King's Advisor for Diplomatic Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed on intensifying coordination between the two countries in the face of challenges facing the Arab nations.
Egypt's Sisi, COMESA secretary-general discuss intra-trade, cross-border infrastructure
Egypt will cooperate with the secretariat of the Common Market for East and South Africa to arrive at the goals of the Egyptian presidency of the economic bloc for the term and accomplish the 2063 development agenda of Africa as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Sisi told Secretary-General Chileshe Kapwepwe.
Economy
Egypt's parliament approves 10 percent customs tax on imported mobile phones
Egypt's parliament – the House of Representatives – approved Sunday a presidential decree on changing customs tariffs imposed on some imported goods.
Egypt’s latest US dollar-dominated T-bills attract over $1.6 billion
Egypt’s recent US dollar-dominated treasury bills (T-bills) have managed to attract over 1.6 billion US dollars, according to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE).
EBRD approves €250 mln loan to establish Alexandria’s Abu Qir metro line
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved a 250 million euros loan for Egypt to finance the Abu Qir metro line in Alexandria, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat announced in a statement on Monday.
Egypt’s agricultural exports amount 5.2 million tonnes in 11M 2021
Egypt’s agricultural exports amounted to about 5.2 million tonnes during the period from January to November 2021, recording an increase of about six hundred tonnes from the same period last year, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation.
CBE launches EGP 5.5bn initiative to finance transition to modern irrigation
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has launched a new initiative to finance the transition to modern irrigation methods. It will finance agricultural cooperative societies or other associations established for the purpose of switching to modern irrigation, through the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) and the Agricultural Bank of Egypt (ABE).
CIB launches ‘Bedaya’ accounts to enhance financial inclusion in Egypt
The Commercial International Bank – Egypt (CIB), has launched Bedaya accounts for self-employed individuals and micro and small business sectors.
Egypt’s exports to Nile Basin countries increase 33.7% to $1.117bn in 9M 2021: CAPMAS
The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said that the value of Egyptian exports to the Nile Basin countries increased to 1.117 billion US dollars during the period extending from January to September 2021, compared to 835 million US dollars during the same period last year, a growth of 33.7 percent.
Domestic Security
Authorities appear to be moving ahead with plans to demolish a number of residences in Arish to make way for a new road development despite continued efforts by residents to find alternative solutions. Meanwhile, militant attacks have intensified in Bir al-Abd in recent months, with the Province of Sinai storming villages and kidnapping residents for ransom.
Residents of the Arish neighborhood of Risa have taken to social media to call on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to reverse a presidential decree issued in late October to expand the area of land in their coastal neighborhood allocated for an Armed Forces-led redevelopment of the city’s port.
Madbouly orders removal of encroachments along River Nile
Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stressed the need to quickly remove illegal encroachments along the River Nile, waterways, and agricultural lands, and take the necessary actions against violators.
From Jadaliyya
Thinking about Democracy and Revolution: Egypt’s 2011 Uprising with Mona El-Ghobashy (Video)
In this talk, based on her new book Bread and Freedom, Egypt’s Revolutionary Situation, Mona El-Ghobashy presents an interpretation of Egypt’s 2011 uprising that brings out some lost connections between democracy and revolution.
Arabic
حيرة النظام: ماذا لو عض الفقراء أصابعنا ونحن ننتزع اللقمة المدعومة؟
Mada Masr sheds light on how the Egyptian government is dealing with the issue of subsidized bread.
Politician Zyad Elelaimy, journalists Hisham Fouad and Hossam Moanis were handed lengthy prison sentences after being convicted on false news charges by an emergency state security misdemeanor court on Wednesday, according to lawyer Khaled Ali.
حسن مصطفى يكمل 20 يوما في الإضراب عن الطعام بمحبسه اعتراضا على استمرار حبسه بعد المدة القانونية
The political activist Hassan Mustafa continues twenty days into the hunger strike, in protest against his continued pre-trial detention after exceeding the maximum limit of pretrial detention under the Egyptian law.
إغلاق خدمات ومشروع غامض لـ«الإسكان».. إحكام حصار «الوراق»
Al Waraq residents continue to face uncertainty as many services are being shut down.
المال مقابل الكرسي: نزاع قضائي يكشف كيف أدارت الأحزاب الانتخابات التشريعية
The article examines a legal dispute on how money influenced last year’s legislative elections.
Political researcher Abdo Fayed has been in pretrial detention for one year and a half over “spreading false news and joining a terrorist group” charges.
Cairo Criminal Court (Terrorism Circuit Court) renewed on Thursday the detention 276 defendants in sixteen political cases, verdicts pending, according to the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI).
انتخابات اتحادات الطلاب.. حسم مقاعد 10 كليات بجامعة القاهرة و8 أخرى تشهد الاقتراع
Voting for student union elections started on Sunday, November 28.
