[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
Whereabouts of activist Haitham al-Banna remain unknown 8 days after forced disappearance
The family and friends of activist Haitham al-Banna are continuing to call on authorities to reveal his whereabouts eight days after he was forcibly disappeared by security forces.
Dozens of lawyers protest decision to refer 9 colleagues to trial over 2015 dispute
Dozens of lawyers stood in silent protest outside a North Giza courthouse on Sunday to oppose the referral of nine lawyers to criminal trial over a 2015 dispute, while the North Giza branch of the Lawyers Syndicate called for a partial strike starting Tuesday.
Egypt’s NCHR to cooperate with civil society to implement human rights strategy
The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) has a work plan to enhance cooperation with civil society organizations in the near future to support their participation in implementing the National Strategy for Human Rights, the council president Moushira Khattab said.
Cairo court sentences 10 to death over terrorism charges, including Yehia Moussa
A Cairo criminal court issued on Sunday a preliminary death sentence to ten defendants - including a former health ministry spokesperson - for “forming armed groups to carry out hostile attacks in Cairo and Giza against police personnel and vandalise public properties and facilities, including power towers.”
A man named Marco Girgis was sentenced to five years in prison for contempt of religion and violating family values by a misdemeanors circuit of the Cairo Economic Court on Saturday. The ruling issued on Saturday “is a new episode in a series of prosecutions and trials of citizens in the context of restricting freedom of expression,” the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said in a Tuesday press release, citing the increased use of what it dubbed as broad and unconstitutional charges in several other cases and calling for Girgis’s immediate release.
Guardian: Leaked videos show detainees being tortured inside Cario police station
The Guardian said on Monday it obtained two leaked videos showing evidence of beating and torture by Egyptian security officers in Cairo. The two videos are believed to have been shot last November in a police station in the Salam City district to the east of Cairo, according to The Guardian.
Court of Cassation upholds prison terms for 34 convicted over 2013 violence charges
Egypt’s Court of Cassation upheld on Tuesday prison terms ranging from seven to fifteen years against thirty-four defendants over violence-related charges from 2013.
Egyptian court sentences Mufti of Al-Qaeda affiliate 'Al-Nusra Front' to life in prison
A Cairo emergency state security court sentenced on Sunday Madin Ibrahim Hassenein, who is commonly known as “Nusra Front” Mufti, to life in prison for joining Al-Qaeda-affiliated “Al-Nusra Front” and “Jund Al-Aqsa” movements in Syria and receiving military trainings to carry out terrorist attacks.
‘Sovereign entity’ intervening in state media workers strike
A “sovereign” government entity has intervened in protests for overdue wage payments held by state media workers at the Maspero building in downtown Cairo, according to Khaled al-Sobky, the head of the union committee for economic sector workers at the National Broadcasting Authority.
Move to demolish Nasr City neighborhoods based on profit, not public interest, experts say
Nasr City, a planned district in eastern Cairo built in the 1960s during the Gamal Abdel Nasser era, was once intended to be Egypt’s new capital city. Now, two of the district’s oldest and largest neighborhoods face demolition to make way for a new government development plan.
Foreign Policy
US approves $2.5 bn arms sale to Egypt despite human rights criticism
The Biden administration on Tuesday approved 2.5 billion US dollars in arms sales to Egypt despite vocal criticism of Egypt’s human rights record in Congress. The proposed sale includes 2.2 billion US dollars in aircraft and related equipment and a separate 355 million US dollars sale for air defense radar systems.
Shoukry stresses necessity of paving way for negotiations leading to independent Palestinian state
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed on Saturday Egypt’s support for the Palestinian cause and the necessity of paving the ground to revive Middle East peace negotiations in order to establish an independent Palestinian state.
Egypt, China presidents discuss economic, industrial cooperation in Beijing
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing economic and industrial cooperation, especially in the production of coronavirus vaccines and electric vehicles, the Egyptian presidency said.
Egypt to speak for Africa's aspirations on addressing climate change at COP27: FM Shoukry tells AU
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Egypt will speak up for Africa's aspirations to cope with climate change during the coming twenty-seventh session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which is set to take place in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.
Egypt concludes its presidency of UN Peacebuilding Commission
Egypt concluded its chairmanship of the fifteenth session of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, which lasted for a year amid international appreciation for the success of the Egyptian role to achieve peace.
Economy
Egypt in talks with IMF over possible new loan
Egypt has been in talks with the International Monetary Fund over the past few months to look into the possibility of securing a new loan, according to two government officials, a former government official, a Western diplomat working in Cairo, and a prominent figure in one of Egypt’s financial groups who spoke separately to Mada Masr in the past two weeks on condition of anonymity.
Egypt’s international reserves inch up to $40.98 bln in January: CBE
Egypt’s net international reserves (NIRs) edged up in January by forty-five million US dollars to post 40.98 billion US dollars, up from 40.93 billion US dollars recorded in December, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced on Sunday.
Egypt’s PMI for non-oil business drops to lowest point since April 2021
Egypt’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the non-oil business sector fell in January to 47.9, down from December’s 49, the lowest reading since 47.7 in April 2021, IHS Markit announced on Thursday.
Egypt’s balance of payments attained an overall surplus of 311.4 million US dollars in the first quarter (1Q) FY2021/2022 (July-September 2021), the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced on Wednesday.
Egypt targets reducing budget’s overall deficit to below 6% in FY2022/23: Finance minister
Egypt targets lowering the budget’s overall deficit to below 6.7 percent by end of FY2021/2022 and to below six percent in FY2022/2023, down from 7.4 percent in FY2020/21, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait announced on Wednesday.
Egypt House of Representatives gave Tuesday a final approval of five important economic laws, including the General Unified Planning Law which aims to engage the private sector in economic development projects.
Domestic Security
Explosion kills 5 soldiers in western North Sinai, stray bullet injures laborer in Rafah
Five soldiers were killed on Tuesday in an explosion in Gelbana village on the westernmost outskirts of North Sinai, a security source told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity.
Displaced for 7 years due to fighting, North Sinai residents return home to rubble
Residents of eastern North Sinai returned to the area at the beginning of this week to inspect homes they were displaced from seven years ago and found their houses and farms reduced to rubble, some of the returnees told Mada Masr.
From Jadaliyya
في الذكرى العاشرة لمجزرة بورسعيد، لا يزال ’الألتراس’ كابوس النظام المصري
Julien Rieffel writes about the Port Said stadium massacre in Egypt, which killed Seventy-two people in a brawl between soccer fans after a match in the city of Port Said.
Arabic
«الداخلية» تنفي الاعتداء على دومة بعد تقدم أسرته ببلاغ للنائب العام
The Ministry of Interior denied the ill-treatment of prisoner Ahmed Douma. Ahmed suffered physical assault at the hands of a prison officer.
Osama Bayoumi appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on Thursday and was ordered into pretrial detention in Case No. 640/2018 on charges of “belonging to a terrorist organization and spreading false news”.
The families of the detainees launched a campaign on social media calling for the release of detainees arbitrarily held in pretrial detention.
The Center for Trade Union and Workers' Services documented 8041 violations of workers’ rights during 2021.