Egypt Daily Update: Trump Administration Reportedly Tables Brotherhood Terrorist Designation
March 28, 2017
Trump Administration Reportedly Tables Brotherhood Terrorist Designation
Parliament’s Human Rights Committee Discusses State Department Report
Cartoon of the Day: Budget Top Stories
Trump Administration Reportedly Tables Brotherhood Terrorist Designation
According to a report from the Washington Times, the Trump administration is not currently considering moving forward with designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization. The report is based on information from “U.S. officials close to [the] heated debate inside the administration over the status of the global Islamist movement.” The report adds, “While the White House has declined to comment publicly, officials speaking on condition of anonymity say the administration backed down from a plan to designate the Brotherhood last month after an internal State Department memo advised against it because of the movement’s loose-knit structure and far-flung political ties across the Middle East.” Numerous analysts and experts across the political spectrum, including outspoken Brotherhood critics, came out against the potential designation.This news comes as an Egyptian delegation, composed of a variety of public figures including current MPs, met with members of the American Coptic Association (ACA) in New York and New Jersey on Monday. According to delegation head Ahmed al-Fadaly, the group intends to lobby U.S. government officials and Members of Congress to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
In other news, after discussing amendments to the 2013 protest law yesterday, Parliament postponed voting on the amendment due to the lack of a quorum. According to Ahram Online,Monday’s discussion of the amendment bill divided MPs into two camps: those who solely want to amend Article 10 of the protest law—which the Supreme Constitutional Court declared was unconstitutional in December 2016—and those who seek abolishing prison sentences for protesters entirely, which would also require amending other articles of the law.
Parliament’s Human Rights Committee Discusses State Department Report
Parliament’s Human Rights Committee discussed the Egypt section of the U.S. State Department’s 2016 Report on Human Rights Practices in its meeting on Sunday. Deputy Foreign Minister for Human Rights Laila Bahaaeddin claimed that the report “reflected the view of the former Obama administration which had always sought to tarnish the image of Egypt in any way.” Because Trump “has said he wants closer relations with Egypt… [the Egyptian government] decided not to make a lot of fuss in the media on a negative report which was issued by the outgoing administration of Obama,” Bahaaeddin added.
Coptic MP Nabil Bolous felt that the section on sectarian tensions was particularly exaggerated and urged the Foreign Ministry to consider the report as a national security threat. Bolous claimed that, as a Coptic Christian, he “has never felt that there is a sectarian problem in Egypt… as the report alleges … By contrast we see that it is America which has been rife with sectarian tension, racial discrimination incidents and police brutality throughout the year 2016.”
In response, Bahaaeddin defended the Foreign Ministry’s response to the report and emphasized that the government’s priority was to ensure “that President al-Sisi concludes a successful visit to the United States” and that there is no tension between Egypt and the United States during this time. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who will be accompanying President al-Sisi to Washington, will reportedly “be ready to respond to any accusations in this respect in a diplomatic and wise way [in order] to give the new administration a chance to change this negative view of Egypt.”
Cartoon of the Day: Budget
“How about that trillion pound budget? Ever hear of a number like that in your life?”
Anwar Al-Masry Al-Youm – 03/27/2017
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Michael Young Carnegie Middle East Center Jordan: No Model for Others to Follow – LobeLog
In an article for LobeLog, POMED Deputy Director for Strategic Development Arwa Shobaki responds to Shehab al-Mekahlah’s op-ed entitled “Jordan Attempts to Transform Challenges into Opportunities.” She argues that—far from being the model nation it seeks to be—Jordan’s stability is threatened by its repressive tendencies and diminishing public trust.
After reading Shehab al-Mekahlah’s LobeLog post, “Jordan Attempts to Transform Challenges into Opportunities,” I felt compelled to respond. I am also a Jordanian that cares deeply for the country’s prosperity and stability, but my understanding and knowledge of the nation and its current challenges could not be more different from al-Mekahlah’s. He states that “King Abdullah II is presently building on the national ethos of the Jordanian people to develop their country as a model for others to follow in terms of pluralism, cohesion, modernity, and moderation.” Sadly, that’s simply not the Jordan that I see.
Although Jordan remains an important ally of Western and regional powers, and has managed to maintain stability in a volatile neighborhood, this stability has been and will continue to be challenged. Jordan is not immune from public discontent, nor is it safe from terror attacks. The 2011 regional uprisings did provide Jordanians with a rare public platform to express long- suppressed social and political frustration linked to a struggling economy, allegations of widespread corruption, a weak and bloated public sector, and limited freedoms of expression and association.
Continuing to gloss over a not-so-shiny record of human rights and reform with slick diplomacy neither quells dissent nor addresses the demands of a bulging youth population with limited future hope and vision. Censoring expression, curbing association, and denying due process do not foster the pluralism or modernity that al-Mekahlah describes, nor does it build trust between Jordan’s citizens and its rulers. And this is especially true when one-third of the population lives below the poverty line…
To read the full article click here.
Egypt Daily Update: Parliament Begins Discussing Protest Law Amendment
March 27, 2017
Parliament Begins Discussing Protest Law Amendment
Human Rights Watch Condemns Hijazi’s Verdict Postponement
Mozn Hassan Honored by Right Livelihood Award Foundation in Cairo
Cartoon of the Day: Empty Pockets Top Stories
Parliament Begins Discussing Protest Law Amendment
The Egyptian parliament began discussing amendments to the controversial 2013 protest lawon Sunday. In December 2016, the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled Article 10 of the protest law unconstitutional, as it allows the Interior Ministry to reject protest notifications arbitrarily. According to a joint report prepared by Parliament’s Committee on Legislative and Constitutional Affairs and Committee on Defense and National Security, the government-drafted amendment bill “changes Article 10 to be in line with the Supreme Constitutional Court ruling and make sure that citizens have the right to organize street protests.” Specifically, the amendment transfers protest- regulation authority from the Interior Ministry to the first circuit courts.
Alaa Abed, Head of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, stated that “the amended protest law aims to ensure that citizens exercise the right to protest without disrupting public life. Not only does this go in line with the Supreme Constitutional Court’s ruling, but it also reflects what happens in most countries … We have just seen how police in many countries—especially in the United States and Western Europe—imposed bans on certain protests and even move to disperse them by use of tear gas.”
Abed also reported that the Human Rights Committee would discuss the Egypt section of the U.S. State Department’s 2016 Report on Human Rights Practices in their meeting on Sunday, which he claimed was “rife with lies and flawed statements.”
HRW Condemns Hijazi’s Verdict Postponement
After detained Egyptian-American Aya Hijazi’s verdict was postponed last Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement condemning the decision. HRW’s Deputy Middle East Director Joe Stork expressed that “the case of Aya Hijazi and her co-defendants has been nothing less than a travesty of justice. Defendants have been unable to meet privately with lawyers, hearings have been repeatedly adjourned for long periods, while the court has routinely rejected, without explanation, numerous requests for release on bail, resulting in what appears to amount to arbitrary detention.” The statement also urged U.S. PresidentDonald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al- Sisi to discuss Hijazi’s “unjust and lengthy detention” when they meet in Washington next week.Al- Masry Al-Youm reported [Ar] late last week that al-Sisi’s visit to Washington will be purely political in nature; Egyptian government sources told the newspaper that it is unlikely that President al-Sisi will be accompanied by a delegation of Egyptian investors. The two presidents are expected to discuss [Ar] counterterrorism measures, illegal immigration, and the situations in Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Palestine.
Mozn Hassan Honored by Right Livelihood Award Foundation
After being prevented from travelling to Stockholm in November 2016 to accept an award at the Right Livelihood Award Foundation’s official ceremony, Mozn Hassan, Founder and Director of Nazra for Feminist Studies, was honored at an additional ceremony in Cairo on Saturday. Hassan was banned from travel and her assets were frozen as a result of the Egyptian government’s crackdown on civil society organizations.
Cartoon of the Day: Empty Pockets
“Spring is here, the weather is fair, cast away all your cares!”
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Amr Kotb and Allison McManus The Hill Egypt Daily Update: Mubarak Freed from Prison
March 24, 2017
Mubarak Freed from Prison
Egyptian Officials Meet with UN
More Than 20 Killed in Sinai Violence
Video of the Day: Egypt Economic Growth Slows Top Stories
Mubarak Freed from Prison
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was initially arrested in April 2011 two months after leaving office, has been released. “He is now in his home in Heliopolis,” his lawyer, Farid El Deeb, confirmed. The 88-year- old was cleared of the remaining murder charges against him this month, after facing trial for corruption and conspiring to kill protesters. Key activists in the 2011 uprising are now serving lengthy jail terms, and rights groups say hundreds of others have been forcibly disappeared.
Mubarak’s release prompted varied reactions from citizens, activists, and international human rights organizations. “At this point, I really don’t care,” said Ahmed Harara, an activist who lost his sight when he was shot by the police, during demonstrations in Cairo in 2011. “I realized years ago that this is not just about Mubarak and his regime, it’s an entire system that has now resurrected itself.” “Everything is upside down,” said Montasser al-Zayat, an Islamist lawyer who was imprisoned four times under Mr. Mubarak, and whose clients include the supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie. “The road to democracy is blocked. Egyptians do not feel safe expressing themselves.”
“As Hosni Mubarak goes free in Egypt, thousands of prisoners still languish in horrific prison conditions. Many face the death penalty on charges relating to protests, in mass trials that make a mockery of due process,” said Harriet McCulloch, a deputy director at human rights organisation Reprieve.
Egyptian Officials Meet with UN
Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Thursday to discuss counterterrorism and the Libyan conflict. According to the official Egyptian government readout, Shoukry “underlined the key role of the UN chief during the current stage, in light of different threats facing the global organization along with increasing conflicts ripping through the world, especially the Middle East and Africa.” On March 20, meanwhile, the chief of staff of Egypt’s armed forces,Mahmoud Hegazy, met with UN Special Envoy to Libya Martin Kobler to reiterate “the importance of all political entities in Libya reaching a peace treaty […] based on preserving Libya’s unity and stability.”
More Than 20 Killed in Sinai Violence
According to a military spokesman, more than two dozen people were killed as security forces took on militants in Egypt’s Sinai region on Thursday. The tally includes ten security personnel who were killed by explosions later claimed by the Islamic State affiliate in the Sinai; 15 militants were also among the dead, according to the government. Meanwhile, an explosion in the Cairo suburb of Maadi reportedly killed one person and injured several more early Friday. A building attendant died when the device detonated, and a number of his family members were also injured. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Mohamed Hamama Mada Masr Egypt Daily Update: High-Profile Prisoners’ Trials Postponed, Including Egyptian- American
March 23, 2017
High-Profile Prisoners’ Trials Postponed, Including Egyptian-American
Sisi Meets with Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri
Egypt Condemns London Attack
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High-Profile Prisoners’ Trials Postponed, Including Egyptian-American
Irish-Egyptian Ibrahim Halawa, who has been detained in an Egyptian prison for more than three years awaiting trial, had his latest hearing adjourned for the twentieth time yesterday. After the proceedings, Halawa’s sister stated, “The sad reality is my brother is dying in an Egyptian prison, facing a mass trial, which at this rate will take over 10 years. Given Ibrahim’s current mental and physical state we don’t believe he will be strong enough to survive that delay. The flawed trial process and conditions to which Ibrahim has been detained can no longer be accepted.” The trial is set to resume on April 5.
Before adjourning the trial, the court ordered further medical examinations for Halawa. The Irish Government announced this week that it would send an independent medical expert to Egypt to examine Halawa after reports from his sister that his blood sugar levels were low due to a hunger strike and that he is suffering from a skin disease. Halawa was imprisoned in 2013 after being present near Cairo’s Ramses Square during a confrontation between supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and police.
In related news, the verdict for Egyptian-American Aya Hijazi, who has been detained pending trial since 2014, was postponed from today to April 16. Additionally, the trial of photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, commonly known as Shawkan, has been adjourned until April 8. Shawkan has been detained since August 2013, when he documented the Rabaa sit-in dispersal that left hundreds of civilians dead.
Sisi Meets with Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Prime Minister Sherif Ismail welcomed Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in Cairo yesterday. According to Ahram Online, President Sisi praised Lebanon’s social model of encouraging diversity while limiting terrorism while Prime Minister Hariri praised Egypt’s stability and economic reform program. The leaders also discussed bolstering cooperation in the fields of health, education, investment, and counterterrorism. Following the meeting, Hariri told an Egyptian state-owned news agency that he also requested Egypt’s assistance in training the Lebanese military in order to help his country fight terrorism. This visit marked Hariri’s first to Egypt since he took office in December 2016; Lebanese President Michel Aoun visited Cairo last month.
Egypt Condemns London Attack
Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement [Ar] late Wednesday condemning yesterday’s terrorist attack in London “in the strongest terms.” The statement expressed Egypt’s condolences to the victims and their families and emphasized that terrorism is a global phenomenon that targets everyone, regardless of one’s race or religion. The Ministry also reiterated the necessity of a comprehensive approach to countering terrorism that must consider the ideology, finances, and military capabilities of terrorist groups.
In other news, 10 Ultras Ahlawy members—fans of the Ahly soccer club—who were detained in February began their eighth day of a hunger strike in Cairo’s May 15 Prison yesterday. Their lawyer told Ahram Online that “they went on hunger strike protesting maltreatment in the prison, as they are banned from visits, do not fully receive the legally allowed supplies (food, clothes, and medicines, etc) from their relatives, and they are demanding their release.” The fans were arrested for planning a gathering to commemorate the anniversary of the Port Said massacre.
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Egypt Daily Update: Verdict in American Citizen Aya Hijazi’s Case Expected Thursday
March 22, 2017 Verdict in Aya Hijazi Case Expected on Thursday
Sisi Announces Four Women’s Empowerment Initiatives
Ireland Sending Medical Expert to Examine Ibrahim Halawa
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Verdict in Aya Hijazi Case Expected on Thursday
Egyptian-American Aya Hijazi, her husband Mohamed Hassanein, and six other employees of the Belady Foundation are expecting a verdict in their case this Thursday, legal analyst Mai El-Sadany reported on Twitter this week. They have been held in pretrial detention for 1,055 days.
The Belady Foundation was founded by Hijazi and Hassanein to aid street children in Egypt. The Foundation’s offices were raided by Egyptian authorities in May 2014; Hijazi and her co-defendants were accused of “running an unlicensed organization and holding street children and inciting them to participate in protests,” according to the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. Many other charges were later leveled against the defendants, including assaulting and exploiting the children. The defendants “have vehemently denied the charges.”
A number of U.S. politicians have since spoken out regarding Hijazi’s case. In February, during Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry’s visit to Washington, a bipartisan group of Senators released a statement calling for her release. The Senators referred to Hijazi’s case as “emblematic of a disturbing trend in Egypt of government crackdown on civil society groups and imprisonment of human rights activists.”
Sisi Announces Four Women’s Empowerment Initiatives
In a speech [Ar] yesterday commemorating Mother’s Day in Egypt, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced four new initiatives designed to assist and empower Egyptian women as part of its Vision 2030 sustainable development strategy. These initiatives include instructing the government and the National Council for Women to begin working on a long-term women’s empowerment strategy for 2030, allocating EGP 250 million to supporting small enterprises led by women, pledging EGP 50 million to support female breadwinners in low-income areas, and providing EGP 250 million to fund childcare and school meal programs in order to encourage women’s participation in the workforce. President Sisi’s speech also emphasized that ensuring women’s participation in public life is essential to achieving national stability and progress.
Ireland Sending Medical Expert to Examine Ibrahim Halawa
The Irish Government is sending an independent medical expert to Egypt to examine Irish-Egyptian Ibrahim Halawa, who has been detained in Egypt awaiting trial for over three years. Halawa was imprisoned in 2013 after being present near Cairo’s Ramses Square during a confrontation between supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and police. Halawa’s sister reported last week that Ibrahim’s blood sugar levels were low due to a hunger strike and that he is suffering from a skin disease. Halawa’s trial, which includes 493 co-defendants, is scheduled to resume today after being adjourned 19 times.
In other news, authorities in the village of Noga al-Sawma’a in Sohag governorate dispersed a protest and arrested 17 individuals on Monday. Locals were protesting the government’s construction of a sewage plant due to concerns the plant would cause pollution and disease. Protesters blocked main roads and set tires on fire. The police dispersed the protesters using tear gas while protesters threw stones at the police, Ahram Online reports.
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Government Announces Changes to Drug Enforcement Policy
World Bank Announces $100 million Project
Essebsi, Chahed Defend Government
Tunisia Celebrates Independence
Foreign Affairs
World Bank Announces New Development Project: On March 15, the World Bank announced a $100 million project to support “better management of forests, rangelands and agricultural landscapes for more jobs and increased incomes in the North-West and Center-West regions of Tunisia, where almost half of the poorest segment of the population are concentrated.” Eileen Murray, World Bank Country Manager for Tunisia, explained that “there is significant potential for growth if local communities are provided the support to reorient towards higher value-added products and growing global markets. This would especially benefit women, who make up over half of the rural labor force and up to 80 percent in the North-West and Center-West.” In 2016, World Bank projects in Tunisia reached $770 million, compared to $301 million in 2015 and $438 million in 2014. Meanwhile, Tunisia’s Finance Minister Lamia Zribi met with International Monetary Fund (IMF) General Director Christine Lagarde on the sidelines of the “Compact with Africa” summit held March 17-18 in Germany. Lagarde reiterated IMF support for Tunisia’s reform process.
EU Ambassador Visits Development Projects: European Union (EU) Ambassador to Tunisia Patrice Bergamini visited Kasserine and Sidi Bouzid over the weekend to assess development projects. Bergamini announced that the EU has doubled its aid to Tunisia to€300 million in 2017 in order to finance high-priority projects.
In other news, during a March 18 meeting in Tunis with Minister of Development, Investment, and International Co-operation Mohamed Fadhel Abdelkefi, Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) Vice President Sultan al-Asiri announced that the Fund has earmarked $250 million to establish an office in Tunisia. Activities will focus on development projects in education, health, and financial inclusion. This is the first QFFD office outside Qatar.
Reporters Without Borders Expresses Concern Over Media Freedom: On March 17, Reporters Without Borders Secretary General Christophe Deloire wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Youssef Chahed expressing concern about the “decline in media freedom in recent months.” The letter calls on the government to stop prosecuting journalists in military courts, to respect journalists’ right to information, and to set up the Access to Information Authority without delay.
Domestic News
Government Announces Drug Policy Reforms: On March 15, Tunisia’s National Security Council issued new regulations giving judges discretion to pardon first-time drug law offenders. The current law, Law 52, was passed in 1992 under ex-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and stipulates a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison for any illicit drug use. Before the 2011 revolution, Law 52 was used to suppress criticism of the Ben Ali government. Between 2011 and 2016, the number of trials under the law skyrocketed from 732 to 5,744, official figures show. In December, in response to prison overcrowding and popular demands for reform, the government presented amendments to Parliament that would abolish prison sentences for the first two drug convictions. Parliament is due [Fr] to hold a new round discussions for revision of Law 52 soon.
On March 16, Saida Garrach, a presidential adviser, announced [Fr] that the two high school students sentenced on March 7 to a year in prison for using cannabis will be released at the end of March. Their February arrest provoked [Fr] a social media backlash and prompted an Internet campaign, known as Baddel52 [Fr], which calls for changes to Law 52.
Essebsi, Chahed Defend Government Against Critics: During a March 20 television interview, President Beji Caid Essebsi rejected [Fr] accusations that the government has moved too slowly on political and economic development. “Moving towards democracy is not an easy thing and it can take many years. Today, we have a President of the Republic and an Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP) directly elected by the people, which is a new thing in the history of our country. The current political class, contrary to popular belief, is sacrificing itself to achieve this transition,” Essebsi asserted. “We’ve been a democracy for just over two years thanks to the adoption of our constitution. We are fully willing to implement it to the letter but we have encountered several difficulties,” the President stated.
Essebsi also addressed criticism that foreign loans and military aid could compromise Tunisia’s sovereignty. “Tunisia collaborates with several other countries militarily but the National Army is financed mainly by the State […] the Americans certainly help us, but let us not forget that the Tunisian army is republican,” the President argued. Responding to concerns that public sector reforms are too closely tied to IMF requirements, Essebsi stated, “When we came to power, we found the state coffers in a delicate state […] it is us who went to the IMF, not the other way around. With or without the IMF, Tunisia urgently needs investment and public sector reforms.”
During a March 16 speech before Parliament, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed stated that the government has so far upheld the majority of its obligations outlined in the Carthage Agreement. He cited an improved security situation and the Tunisia 2020 conference’s success as evidence of the government’s dedication to the Agreement’s economic and security objectives. The 2016 Agreement, signed by nine parties and three unions, also stipulates that parties and labor unions would play prominent roles in government. Chahed was accused of violating the agreement when he undertook a partial cabinet shuffle on February 25 without consulting these parties and unions.
Criticism of Chahed’s government has continued. Secretary-General of the opposition Machrou Tounes (Project of Tunisia) Movement Mohsen Marzouk warned on March 20 that “Tunisia’s independence remains threatened by the specter of terrorism that haunts the country and the economic crisis that suffocates it.” At a party economic conference, President of the Free Destourian Party Abir Moussi stated, “Independence and national sovereignty are, today more than ever, threatened due to the catastrophic situation of the national economy.” Moussi added that “unsustainable” public debt has put Tunisia in a situation of dependency on foreign countries that could lead to a new form of colonization.
Civil Society and Diplomats Honor Victims of Bardo Attack: On the second anniversary of the Bardo Museum terrorist attack, the SOS Terrorism association held [Fr] a vigil at the museum in memory of the 22 people killed. The Belgian and Polish ambassadors, the Bardo Museum Director, and the brother of assassinated politician Chokri Belaid spoke at the event. Belgian Ambassador Michel Etienne-Tilemans stated that “the Bardo attack, like the Sousse attack, remains in popular memory. This moment of solemn remembrance in the presence of Tunisian civil society offers proof of the vivacity of Tunisia’s democracy. In two years, the Tunisian security forces and government have done incredible work and it is for this reason that Belgium recently decided to lift the travel ban to Tunisia.”
Tunisia Celebrates Sixty-First Anniversary of Independence: On March 20, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed inaugurated National Flag Square in Belvedere Park in Tunis in celebration of the sixty-first anniversary of Tunisia’s independence from French colonial rule. At the ceremony, Chahed stated, “this flag is symbolic of Tunisia’s sovereignty, and we must remember this symbol because at another point in Tunisia’s history, certain people wanted to raise a different flag.” The fact that the flag cost €122,000 and was made in Turkey generated [Fr] media backlash. Also Worth Reading Young People Are Staying Away from Tunisian Politics—Here’s Why Sarah Yerkes Brookings
Egypt Daily Update: State Commissioner Recommends Reversal of NGO’s Closure
March 21, 2017
State Commissioner Recommends Reversal of NGO’s Closure
Egypt Receives Second $1 Billion Tranche from World Bank
Pope Francis to Visit Egypt in April
Cartoon of the Day: New Medicine Top Stories
State Commissioner Recommends Reversal of El-Nadeem Center’s Closure
The State Commissioner’s body at the Council of State published [Ar] a report on Saturdayrecommending that the court rule against the closure of the El-Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture. In February 2017, Egyptian authorities shuttered the Center without prior notice by sealing off the entrance with wax and arresting the doorman. The State Commissioner report, prepared by Deputy State Council HeadMohamed Abdel Mohsen al- Ash, argues [Ar] that the Center’s closure violates Law No. 153 of 2004, which regulates medical establishments. In addition, the report says the government failed to inform the Center’s director that the organization was breaching regulations that could necessitate its closure; officials have also not indicated which regulations the Center violated.
In response to a lawsuit filed by the El-Nadeem Center’s director, Aida Seif El-Dawla, Cairo’s Administrative Court at the State Council will issue a decision on April 19 regarding whether to uphold the Center’s closure.
Egypt Receives Second $1 Billion Tranche from World Bank
On Monday, Egypt received the second $1 billion tranche of its $3 billion World Bank loan. According to Asad Alam, World Bank Country Director for Egypt, “The [Egyptian] government has taken important steps in implementing key policy and institutional reforms that are laying down the foundations for accelerated job creation and inclusive growth.” In a statement, Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr reported that “the second tranche … [will] contribute to stimulating the private sector investments and supporting development projects, which would in turn provide job opportunities and enhance sustainable growth.” The funds will also “support the government’s social safety program to help the most vulnerable groups through income-generating projects.”The World Bank disbursed the first $1 billion tranche of the loan to the Egyptian government in 2015; each tranche is linked to certain economic reforms the Bank has recommended to Egypt. Earlier this month, Hafez Ghanem, the World Bank’s Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, told Reuters that Egypt should prioritize fostering a transparent bureaucracy in order to encourage foreign investment.
Pope Francis to Visit Egypt in April
The Vatican announced in a statement on Saturday that Pope Francis will visit Egypt on April 28 and 29 “in response to the invitation from [President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi], the Bishops of the Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II and the Grand Imam of the Mosque of Al Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayyib.” A statement issued by the Egyptian presidency affirmed that Egypt “is looking forward to this visit as a message of peace, tolerance, and dialogue between all mankind from all religions.” The Pope’s visit to Egypt will take place in the wake of recent hardships faced by Coptic Christians in Egypt, including their migration from North Sinai due to the threat of terrorism and the bombing of Cairo’s largest Coptic cathedral in December 2016. According to Reuters, the visit will “[give] the pontiff another opportunity to promote better relations between Catholics and Muslims.”
Cartoon of the Day: New Medicine “What a strange doctor… he didn’t prescribe you medicine from the pharmacy, he prescribed you bread from the bakery!”
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Ravy Shaker Mada Masr Egypt Daily Update: President Sisi to Meet Trump in D.C. on April 3
March 20, 2017
President Sisi to Meet Trump in D.C. April 3
Lawyers Syndicate Conducts One-Day Nationwide Strike
Police Arrest Eight Alleged MB Members
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President Sisi to Meet Trump in D.C. on April 3
A White House official told Reuters on Sunday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisiwill meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on April 3 in Washington. According to an Egyptian state- run newspaper, Sisi’s official visit will last from April 1 to 4. The two presidents spoke over the phone on January 23 and discussed counterterrorism efforts; Trump also expressed that he was “looking forward to the [Egyptian] President’s awaited visit to Washington which is being prepared for through diplomatic channels,” according to a statement released by the Egyptian presidency’s office.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will be in Washington beginning [Ar] on Wednesday for the White House’s anti-Islamic State summit. According to the Washington Post, the Trump administration invited more than 60 countries to participate in the two-day gathering, which will be led by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The meetings will focus on “[accelerating] international efforts to defeat [the Islamic State] in the remaining areas it holds in Iraq and Syria,” according to the State Department. Minister Shoukry was invited to the meeting by Secretary Tillerson in a phone conversation on Saturday. Shoukry was last in Washington in late February, when he met [Ar] with Tillerson and National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.
In related news, a U.S. congressional delegation will visit Egypt next month, according to Egyptian MP Dahlia Youssef—a member of the Egyptian Parliament’s foreign relations committee. Youssef stated on Sunday that “the visit will come as part of efforts to put Egyptian-American relations back on a sound track.” The MP also reported that “an Egyptian parliamentary delegation will visit the United States very soon.”
Lawyers Syndicate Conducts One-Day Nationwide Strike
The Lawyers Syndicate held a nationwide one-day strike on Saturday to protest last week’s jailing of eight of their colleagues in Minya governorate. The lawyers were each sentenced to five years in prison—despite the initial complaint against the lawyers being withdrawn prior to sentencing—for allegedly insulting the judiciary, blocking access to a public facility, and preventing a judge from carrying out his duty while they were protesting outside of a local court in March 2013. The strike was announced [Ar] on Lawyers Syndicate Head Sameh Ashour’s Facebook page. According to Syndicate spokesperson Magdy Abdel-Halim, “the strike aims to push for an urgent court hearing to release those lawyers in prison.” Though the nationwide strike was only held for one day, the strike in Minya governorate will continue indefinitely.In other news, Al-Ahram Managing Editor Abdel-Mohsen Salama was elected Press Syndicate Head on Friday. Salama received 2,457 votes, while incumbent Yehia Kalashreceived 1890 votes. Six board members were also elected on Saturday.
Police Arrest Eight Alleged MB Members
A police raid on the headquarters of an apparent public relations firm in Nasr City late last week resulted in the arrest of eight Egyptians with alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. According to a statement [Ar] issued by the Interior Ministry, those arrested were involved in planning “hostile operations” against state institutions in Cairo. During the raid, two of the alleged Brotherhood members opened fire while trying to escape; one civilian was killed.
Cartoon of the Day: Happy Dollar
“You sold us, now it’s your loss”
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Egypt Daily Update: Mubarak Files Suit to Unfreeze Assets
March 17, 2017
Mubarak Files Suit to Unfreeze Assets
Egypt Criticizes Europe’s Human Rights Record at UN Meeting
Sisi Forms Committee to Investigate School Food Poisoning
Cartoon of the Day: Mubarak’s Release Top Stories
Mubarak Files Suit to Unfreeze Assets
Former President Hosni Mubarak, who was released from Maadi Military Hospital earlier this week, filed a lawsuit on Thursday to unfreeze EGP 61 million of his assets. Mubarak’s sons filed the suit alongside their father against the justice minister, the prosecutor-general, East Cairo’s attorney- general, and Egypt’s Central Clearing, Depository and Registry Company. The suit alleges that the continued freeze on their assets is in “defiance of the law.” The Mubarak family’s assets have been frozen since February 2011, when corruption charges were filed after Mubarak had been deposed. According to Mubarak’s lawyer Farid al-Deeb, Mubarak is still banned from travel while the Illicit Gains Authority conducts investigations into the increase in his wealth. In other news, the Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco will resume fuel shipments to Egypt, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla announced in a statement [Ar] on Thursday. The shipments will begin arriving in Egypt in late March or early April. According to the agreement signed between Egypt and Aramco last year, Egypt will buy 400,000 tons of diesel, 200,000 tons of gasoline, and 100,000 tons of fuel oil from the Saudi company at a 2 percent interest rate on a 15-year repayment timeline. The resumption comes after Aramco unilaterally halted shipments to Egypt in October 2016. The Oil Ministry claims that the decision was made for commercial reasons and was not politically- motivated, despite recent political tensions between Cairo and Riyadh.
Egypt Criticizes Europe’s Human Rights Record at UN Meeting
Egyptian Envoy to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Amr Ramadandefended his government’s human rights record at a council meeting on Wednesday. Ramadan expressed that the Egyptian government has a positive relationship with civil society organizations that respect the law, adding that only a small number accept foreign funding and “resort to foreign countries to cover up their violations of the law.” The Egyptian envoy also expressed his concern about human rights violations occurring in Europe, including the United Kingdom’s Investigatory Powers Act, the state of emergency in France, and ongoing “racism, extremism, hate speech, discrimination against foreigners and Muslims present in a number of [European Union] countries.”According to Mada Masr, “Ramadan’s comments were widely lampooned on social media.” One Facebook user referred [Ar] to the envoy’s remarks as “black comedy” while an Egyptian Twitter user declared that Ramadan’s comments “must be a joke.”
Sisi Forms Committee to Investigate School Food Poisoning
This week, there was reportedly a food poisoning outbreak in Sohag governorate. According to Egypt’s Health Ministry on Tuesday, approximately 800 students across eight different schools in the governorate were hospitalized after eating school meals. The Cabinet Information Center reported on the same day that over three thousand students were hospitalized; all but 17 have since been released from the hospital after being treated.
In response to the crisis, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered the urgent formation of a committee to investigate the incident on Thursday. A statement issued by President Sisi’s office reported that “the President is closely following the incident and is receiving updated reports on the elementary school students’ health conditions.”
Cartoon of the Day: Mubarak’s Release Building: “International Medical Center”
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