[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
6 political detainees released, state rights body says more to follow
At least six political detainees, who were held for years in detention without trial or investigation, were released on Sunday by order of the State Security Prosecution, lawyers told Mada Masr.
What’s missing from the Public Prosecution’s statement on Ayman Hadhoud’s death
Several government bodies have issued vague statements in the wake of last week’s revelation that economic researcher Ayman Hadhoud died in custody at Abbasseya Psychiatric Hospital in early March. Early on Tuesday morning, the Public Prosecution issued a statement regarding what transpired in the time between Hadhoud’s arrest in early February and his death in early March in an attempt to present an official narrative.
Prosecution summons brother of researcher who died after 2-month disappearance
Omar Hadhoud, the brother of economic researcher Ayman Hadhoud who was discovered on Saturday to have died in custody at a psychiatric hospital one month earlier, was summoned on Monday for questioning by the Public Prosecution, he told Mada Masr.
Hadhoud's political party requests urgent parliamentary statement to gov't on his death
The Reform and Development Party said it had requested the House of Representatives to approve its submission of an urgent statement in the upcoming session on the controversial death of economic researcher Ayman Hadhoud at a Cairo hospital last month.
Egypt prosecution says no criminal suspicion in economist’s death
Two security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Reuters news agency, said Hadhoud had been detained in February on accusations of spreading false news, disturbing the public peace, and joining a banned group – generally a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and a charge often levelled at political activists.
Egyptian Tiktoker Haneen Hossam sentenced to three years in prison for human trafficking
A Cairo Criminal Court sentenced TikToker and influencer Haneen Hossam on Monday to three years — down from ten — in prison and a 200,000 Egyptian pounds fine over charges of human trafficking.
When helping people in need is a crime: The case of Marwa Arafa
Ever since her daughter Marwa Arafa was arrested and imprisoned two years ago, Wafaa Mohamed Hassan has struggled to manage all the new responsibilities thrust on her. Much of the family’s income, including her salary from Al-Azhar University where she teaches literature three times a week, now goes toward supporting her daughter in prison with food, clean clothes and other supplies. She is now also the primary caretaker for her three-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter Wafaa — named after her — splitting the responsibility with the child’s grandfather, aunts and uncles.
Imprisoned blogger and activist Alaa Abd El Fattah has been granted citizenship in the United Kingdom and is on hunger strike at Cairo’s Tora Prison Complex to demand that British authorities be allowed to visit him and British lawyers intervene in his case, according to a Monday morning statement from Abd El Fattah’s sisters.
An emergency court adjourned a Tuesday session in the trial of Patrick George Zaki, a researcher who was investigated for false news charges in relation to writing on Coptic affairs in Egypt, as Zaki’s defense team make a bid to challenge the competency of the emergency courts to judge his case.
Abouel Fotouh accuses Tora prison staff of assault
The defense team of imprisoned former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh is preparing to file an official complaint with the Public Prosecution accusing staff at Tora Prison Complex of physically assaulting him, according to a legal source who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity.
Activist Ahmed Douma, researcher Ahmed Samir Santawy, lawyer Ziyad Elaleimy call off hunger strike
Imprisoned political activist Ahmed Douma has brought to an end a hunger strike that he began in the final weeks of March, according to his brother, Mohamed Douma. He undertook the strike to protest abuse committed by prison authorities in his place of detention.
Six lawyers given suspended 1-year sentences, 3 acquitted over 2015 in-court dispute
A North Giza court acquitted three lawyers on Sunday and handed six others one-year suspended sentences over allegations dating back to a 2015 dispute, lawyer Mohsen Bahnasy told Mada Masr.
Prison Authority begins transferring women prisoners to new Wadi al-Natrun complex, lawyers say
The Prison Authority has begun to transfer as many as hundreds of women prisoners from two sites in Cairo and Alexandria to the newly established prison complex in Wadi al-Natrun, Beheira Governorate, according to two lawyers who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity.
Nile Linen workers suspend strike to protest bonus cuts pending negotiations
After beginning a strike to protest a reduction in their bonuses on Wednesday, workers at the Nile Linen Group textile company, which is based in the Alexandria Free Investment Zone, called off the action on Sunday and are due to enter into negotiations with the management next week.
Living outside the city walls: The process of transferring civil servants to the new capital
The government’s decisions around who gets selected to be transferred to the new capital and where they are expected to live is a closely monitored security process that also raises issues around class dynamics in urban planning. Lower-level civil servants who will serve the new capital can receive government-subsidized housing yet are essentially priced out of living within the walls of the new city.
Al-Sisi signs law on reconciling situation of regulating NGO’s work
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi signed Law No. 23 of 2022 regarding the period for reconciling the statuses stipulated in Law No. 149 of 2019, essentially regulating the work of NGOs.
Egyptian senators call for stricter control on foreign funding of NGOs
The Senate – Egypt's consultative upper house of parliament – will reconvene Saturday to open a debate on the government's supervision of cash and in-kind donations granted to NGOs and charity organizations.
Swiss to unfreeze $430 mln as Egypt money laundering probe ends
Swiss prosecutors are concluding without any charges a decade-long investigation into alleged money laundering and organized crime linked to late former President Hosni Mubarak's circles in Egypt, and will release some 400 million Swiss francs (430 million US dollars) frozen in Swiss banks.
The undersigned human rights organizations consider these amendments to prison nomenclature as nothing but frivolous formalities intended to provide an illusion of reform taking place in the country’s prisons, evocative of the National Human Rights Strategy announced by President al-Sisi in September 2021.
Sources: Interior Ministry building prison complex in Sinai, holding up to 20,000 detainees
The Interior Ministry is building a prison complex that can hold up to 20,000 prisoners in the Gifgafa area in central Sinai, according to two contractors working in North Sinai.
Foreign Policy
Shoukry’s DC charm offensive complicated by human rights concerns
According to informed sources and government officials who spoke to Mada Masr, the uphill battle that any charm offensive Shoukry was intending to launch to resolve US concerns over Egypt’s position on Russia was only further complicated by long standing concerns US officials have had over the human rights record of one of the largest recipients of American military and economic funding. Nonetheless, the foreign minister will try to ease tensions by highlighting shared policy interests and potential further military cooperation.
Sisi talks regional stability with US Congressmen
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with a delegation from the US Congress headed by Senator Richard Shelby on Saturday morning in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, where they discussed regional stability in light of the turbulence in the Middle East.
Cairo hosts round of dialogue between Libyan rival governments
Cairo hosted on Wednesday a round of dialogue between Libya's two rival governments with the aim of resolving disputes over the draft constitution, according to a statement on Wednesday.
Sisi meets Sudanese president in Cairo for talks
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is meeting Sudan’s military leader Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan on Wednesday in Cairo, to take part in a series of discussions on the political front to seek a way out of the Sudanese crisis.
Al Jazeera’s return to Egypt imminent, as Doha and Cairo reforge relationship
Almost a decade after authorities closed the Al Jazeera network bureau in Cairo, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry sat down on Monday with his Qatari counterpart and security advisers from both sides to discuss resuming the broadcaster’s activity in Egypt.
A new regional security framework? Emirati-led anti-Iran initiative plays out in Sharm
The three leaders sat for a highly publicized photo-op after a day of talks on Tuesday that were announced as centered on regional developments, energy and food security. The photo was presented as a show of unity between the three countries who have had a rocky relationship since the UAE officially normalized relations with Israel in 2020, supplanting Egypt’s historical role as the primary regional mediator and benefactor of relations with Tel Aviv.
Economy
Decision to reduce flour rations for subsidized bakeries causes confusion
With bakeries’ capacity to produce subsidized loaves affected by the reduction in supply, consumers and beneficiaries of the subsidy program have been unable to purchase their full share, according to bakery owners from across the country who spoke to Mada Masr. Others described a state of uncertainty in the business, as the decision appears to have been implemented inconsistently nationwide.
Egypt Suspends Imports From Over 800 Brands, Including Nestle, Vaseline, and Almarai
On Sunday, 17 April, Egypt’s General Organization for Import and Export Control (GOEIC) announced the suspension of import activities to Egypt for over 800 companies and factories for violating Resolution No. 43 of 2016 of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Egypt, WB discuss preparations for strategic partnership framework for 2023-2027
Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat held an expanded meeting between representatives of the Egyptian government and the World Bank (WB) to discuss preparations for a strategic partnership framework between Egypt and the World Bank for the period from 2023 to 2027.
Unemployment rate in Egypt fell to 7.4% in 2021: CAPMAS
Egypt’s unemployment rate fell for 20201 fell by 0.5 percent to 7.4 percent, said the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.
Over March, the government and central bank took action against two specters that loom over Egypt’s economic horizon.
Gulf states give Egypt $22 billion to mitigate fallout from Ukraine war
Cairo has secured twenty-two billion US dollars from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to cover Egypt's current account deficit.
Egypt sees unprecedented hike in steel prices as impact of war in Ukraine ripples across economy
Three of Egypt’s biggest steel manufacturers announced that they have raised prices by up to seventeen percent, or about 3,000 Egyptian pounds per ton, in what an industry official described as the “largest one-time increase in steel prices in [Egypt’s] history.”
Egypt to get 350,000 tons of wheat from Europe, Russia in 1st successful tender for months
Egypt sealed deals to purchase 350,000 tons of wheat, the majority of which will come from Europe, following a tender launched on Monday by the General Authority for Supply Commodities, the Supply Ministry agency responsible for importing the wheat that supplies bakeries across the country with flour as part of the subsidy system.
Egypt has requested more support from the IMF, the institution said in a Wednesday statement, which was followed by an Egyptian Cabinet statement saying the program “could include additional financing.”
Central bank hikes interest rates, allows Egyptian pound to fall 11% against dollar
In a bid to halt capital flight from its bond markets, which has accelerated since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Egypt’s central bank hiked interest rates and allowed the value of the Egyptian pound to fall against the dollar by eleven percent on Monday.
Egypt fixes prices for unsubsidized bread as inflation spikes amid war in Ukraine
Egypt’s government set fixed prices for unsubsidized bread late on Sunday night as part of an emergency response to a sharp spike in inflation in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
How is the Egyptian government dealing with the global wheat crisis?
Following the ban on exports of wheat and all types of flour, the government has taken steps this week to control the price of bread in local markets, after prices rose as an immediate effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finance Ministry announces stimulus package amid economic fallout of war in Ukraine
The Finance Ministry announced that it would be implementing emergency measures worth over 7 billion US dollars to mitigate the ripple effects of global inflation and supply chain disruptions, crises that have been compounded in recent weeks by the repercussions of the Russian war on Ukraine.
MPs downplay 7% price hike for household gas as ‘slight,’ say govt keen to confront inflation
The government raised the prices of butane gas cylinders used for home cooking by over seven percent on Friday to seventy-five Egyptian pounds per cylinder, another increase to the cost of living after February’s rates of inflation in Egypt reached the highest levels recorded in two and a half years.
Domestic Security
State-allied tribal groups lead renewed fighting against militants in eastern North Sinai
Five fighters from tribes in North Sinai that are allied with the government were killed on the Thursday afternoon by an improvised explosive device, according to statements from tribal groups.
Province of Sinai pledges allegiance to new Islamic State leader
The Islamic State affiliate in Egypt, the Province of Sinai, pledged allegiance on Wednesday to the group’s new leader via its Amaq publishing outlet.
Human Rights Watch documents arrests, forced labor of dozens of Sudanese refugees in Egypt
The Egyptian police arbitrarily detained at least thirty Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers during raids in December and January, some of whom were subjected to physical abuse and forced labor, Human Rights Watch said.
Arabic
السجن المؤبد لمحمود عزت في قضية اقتحام السجون والحدود الشرقية
A Cairo Criminal court sentenced on Sunday Mahmoud Ezzat, the acting Supreme Guide of the terrorist-designated Muslim Brotherhood, to life in prison in the case No. 2926 of 2013 known as "Storming of the Eastern Borders", which dates back to 2011.
Alaa Abdel Fattah continues his hunger strike to protest his prison conditions.
قصة الساعات الأخيرة من حياة أيمن هدهود في العباسية
The article reveals the violations in the transfer of the economic researcher Ayman Hadhoud to the Abbasiya Psychiatric Hospital in Cairo, as well as details of the last hours before his death.
موجة إضراب السجناء: الصرخة الأخيرة الباقية
The article discusses how political prisoners resort to hunger strike against indefinite detention and maltreatment as the only way to express themselves.
منظمات حقوقية: الأوضاع داخل السجون بحاجة لتغييرات حقيقية بدلًا من التغييرات الشكلية للقانون
Human rights organizations called upon the the President of the Republic to halt the execution of the mass death sentences issued against sixteen people in July 2021, in the Case No. 303 of 2018, known in the media as “the bombing of the police bus in Beheira”.
شتات طالبي «الطب» المصريين في أوكرانيا وروسيا
The article discusses how the Russia-Ukraine war has impacted Egyptian students attending institutions of higher education in both countries.
حوار| عن «قانون أسرة عادل».. مع عزة سليمان
In this interview, attorney and head of CEWLA Azza Suleiman talks about about the outstanding issues in the current personal status law and the philosophy behind her organization’s proposal for a more just bill.