[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
Families, lawyer notify prosecution of two journalists’ disappearance The families of two journalists have been unable to confirm their whereabouts since Sunday and the Giza prosecutor will be notified today of their disappearance, according to lawyer Halim Hanish.
Egyptian criminal court sentences 17 defendants to life, nine to 15 years in 2014 killing of journalist Mayada Ashraf Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Sunday seventeen defendants to life, nine others to fifteen years, and acquitted fifteen defendants for the 2014 murder of journalist Mayada Ashraf and others.
‘Does anyone know why we’re here?’: A letter from a journalist in pretrial detention Mada Masr publishes a letter from journalist Hamdy Mokhtar Ali, also known as Hamdy al-Zaeem, who has been held in pretrial detention at Tora Prison since September 2016.
Lawyer: 18 Ultras White Knights football fans ‘illegally detained’ at police station Eighteen Zamalek Club football fans have been “illegally detained” at the Masr al-Qadeema Police Station, according to Mohamed Hafez, a lawyer at the Association for the Freedom of Thought and Expression.
Deputy president of Strong Egypt Party arrested in Cairo The Strong Egypt Party condemned the arrest of the party’s deputy president, Mohamed al-Qassas, in a statement issued on Friday, demanding authorities reveal his whereabouts.
Strong Egypt Party deputy president charged with ‘joining outlawed group,’ detained for 15 days The deputy president of the Strong Egypt Party, Mohamed al-Qassas, now faces charge of “joining an outlawed group” following his Thursday arrest and continued detention, according to their lawyer Mohamed Hanish.
Egypt prosecution detains deputy head of Strong Egypt Party El-Qassas over spreading false news charges Egypt's High State Security Prosecution ordered on Friday the fifteen-day detention pending investigation of Mohamed al-Qassas, a prominent activist and deputy head of the Strong Egypt opposition party, on charges of spreading false news against the state.
Analysis: How Sisi has been sidelining his opponents “Angry” was the way many described President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s improvised speech during the inauguration ceremony of the Zohr natural gas field on 31 January.
NEA approves 1,558 journalists to cover Egypt's 2018 presidential elections Egypt's National Elections Authority approved on Thursday 1,558 journalists from print, broadcast and TV news outlets to cover the upcoming presidential elections, which are scheduled for 26-28 March.
Court upholds 5-year sentence against police officer for Abu Zaabal truck deaths On Thursday, Egypt’s Court of Cassation upheld a five-year sentence against Omar Farouk, the former deputy head of the Heliopolis Police Station, for the manslaughter of thirty-seven prisoners killed while being transported in a police truck in 2013.
Egyptian military court upholds two death sentences over 2013 murder of police conscripts Egypt’s high military appeals court upheld on Tuesday death sentences handed to two defendants over the August 2013 murder of two police personnel in North Sinai.
Tolerance only allows certain citizens to sleep Since the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights published its report The Trap: Punishing Sexual Difference in Egypt — a report that documents an array of serious violations committed against LGBTQ individuals, or those perceived to be so, by institutions of law enforcement and public health in Egypt — we have increasingly been met with certain recurring questions. We have come to describe these as the questions of “ordinary citizens.”
Economy
Do economic indicators reflect reality for most Egyptians? Both the public and media have become increasingly interested in analyzing the Egyptian state’s economic performance over the past few years in response to the country’s recent economic turmoil, using a variety of economic and financial indicators. But how reflective of reality are they?
A market without buyers: Will 2018 revive automotive sales? Automotive sales in Egypt decreased by forty percent in 2017, as consumers saw their purchasing power fall after the liberalization of the exchange rate in November 2016 precipitated a sharp drop in the value of the pound.
Egypt opens country's first electric vehicle charging station Egypt on Sunday opened the country's first electric vehicle charging unit, as countries around the world incrasingly move toward a battery-powered car market.
Export dreams: Will Zohr gas production allow Egypt to light Europe and its own cities? Production at the Zohr gas field was officially inaugurated by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the last day of January, a little over a month after production began.
Foreign Relations
European Parliament, local rights organizations call for a ‘moratorium’ on Egypt’s death penalty Members of the European Parliament called for a “moratorium on the death penalty [in Egypt], with a view to its abolition” in a Thursday press release, which was later echoed by a joint statement issued by local rights organizations.
Western diplomat: Saudi troops stationed on Tiran Island Saudi Arabian forces have replaced Egyptian troops on Tiran Island, marking the first step in the handover over of two Red Sea islands ceded to the Gulf kingdom in a 2016 border agreement, according to a Western diplomatic source.
US secretary of state Tillerson to visit Egypt as part of a regional tour: State Department U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Egypt as part of a regional tour that includes Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Kuwait from 11 February to 16 February, the State Department said on Thursday.
Sudanese ambassador to Cairo will return to Egypt soon: Sudan FM Ghandour The Sudanese ambassador to Cairo will “return to Egypt soon,” Sudan's foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour said on Thursday at a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart foreign minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo.
Domestic Security
Police announce death of 3 members of militant group Hassm Egypt’s Interior Ministry announced that police forces have killed three members of the militant group Hassm and arrested fourteen others, as part of a security campaign against the group underway in eight of the country’s twenty-seven governorates.
Army blocks all access to Sinai, schools close indefinitely and residents brace for military operation On the eve of the first day of the Armed Forces’ new major counter-terrorism operation in Sinai, authorities have restricted access to and movement within North Sinai, while residents of the peninsula’s main cities steel themselves for the new military campaign.
“Operation Sinai 2018”: What we know so far Egypt’s Armed Forces announced on Friday the launch of a “comprehensive” military operation in Sinai that aims to “end terrorism” in north and central Sinai, west of the Nile valley and the Nile Delta. Egyptian air forces have targeted militant ammunition storehouses in North and Central Sinai, the statement detailed, as well as tightened navy and border guard security protocols and secured “vital locations.”
'Sinai 2018' military operation is an extension of Egypt's long war on terrorism: Presidential spox Egypt's presidential spokesman Bassam Rady affirmed in press statements on Sunday that the current "Sinai 2018" comprehensive military operation is a more sophisticated and extensive successor to a previous series of operations dubbed "Martyrs' Right," the first phase of which was launched in 2015 as part of Egypt's wider war on terror.
Al-Azhar calls on Egyptians to support military's new Sinai 2018 counter-terrorism operation Egypt's Al-Azhar announced on Friday its “full support” for the Egyptian military’s new Operation Sinai 2018, calling on all the Egyptian people "to support the brave men of the army and police in their fight against terrorist and criminal elements."
Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church declares support for armed force's Operation Sinai 2018 counter-terrorism offensive The Coptic Orthodox Church has said it supports a new counter-terrorism operation by the Egyptian military and police to "defeat terrorism in all parts of the country.
Egypt's military says 16 militants killed in major Sinai operation Sixteen militants have been killed and four arrested in northern and central Sinai in a massive anti-terrorism operation waged by military and security forces, Egypt's army said on Sunday, in the first announcement of casualties since the campaign was launched two days ago.
Egypt's Salafi Call group says it backs Egypt's army in its battle against terrorism Egypt's Salafi Call, a group of ultra-orthodox Salafi Muslims, said it is backing Egypt's army it its battle against terrorism, two days after a major counterterrorism operation focused on Sinai was launched.
Egypt's war against terrorism: Analysing progress in 2017 Egypt saw progress on combating terrorism in 2017, but more needs to be done, especially in activating the roles of the individual and civil society in counter-terrorism efforts.
Arabic
الإصلاح الاقتصادى فى مصر: النتائج والتحديات Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies published a special issue on "The Economic Reform in Egypt: Findings and Challenges".
رسائل السيسي وموقف المعارضة (ثقوا في أنفسكم) Khaled Elbalshy discusses Sisi's messages to the opposition.
"السيسي "رئيسي Hazem Saghiya examines Sisi's ascendency to power and how he formed his policies in line with Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak's legacies.
«أهالي العريش بين «القوة الغاشمة» وشبح التهجير بسبب «حرم المطار Local residents were forced to flee their homes near the airport, amid the state's continued campaign to purge Sinai from terrorist elements.
"قصة قاضيين.. أحيلا لمجلس الصلاحية بسبب "مكافحة التعذيب The Disciplinary Board adjourned the trial session of Advisers, Hesham Raouf, president of the Court of Appeal and Assem Abdel Jabbar, vice president of the Cassation Court to Monday over illegal political activities following their participation in drafting a bill against torture, according to informed sources.
"إعدامات "174 غرب العسكرية".. مدنيون يُطاردهم كابوس "عرب شركس Activists launched a campaign against torture in support of defendants in case 174 who were sentenced to death.
عامر: 100 مليار دولار إجمالى تدفقات النقد الأجنبى .. وندرس إنشاء مصرف رقمى The Governor of the Central Bank Tariq Amer said that the volume of foreign exchange inflows to the Egyptian economy exceeded $100 billion since the liberalization of the exchange rate so far, pointing out that the CB aims to apply expansionary monetary policy during the coming period after controlling the inflation rates, which have decreased during the past months.
ضم حاملي الماجستير والدكتوراه للداخلية.. هل يصلح المنظومة الأمنية؟ The Ministry of the Interior announced on its official website that it will accept applications of PhD and masters holders in a number of disciplines including economics, political science, medicine, engineering and languages, to join the Police Academy.
تشويه المعارضة.. استراتيجية الصحف القومية A number of national newspapers are pursuing a strategy of defaming opponents to Sisi's regime.
تحليل إخباري: رئاسة السيسي الثانية…طريق غير معبّدة وتحديات حاسمة Mada Masr analyzes Egypt's presidential elections crisis.
تنكره مصر وتعتبره إسرائيل «استراتيجي» ..حقيقة التعاون الأمني في سيناء The talk of security cooperation between Egypt and Israel in the Sinai has been the focus of various local and foreign media, between the denials of the Egyptian armed forces on the one hand, and the assertion of the Israeli press on the other.
دعوات لمقاطعة الانتخابات الرئاسية.. هل ستنجح المعارضة؟ The article examines the opposition's calls to boycott the coming presidential elections scheduled for March and its impact on public opinion.
من التأييد «الناعم» إلى العداء المطلق.. كيف تبدلت مواقف السيسي تجاه ثورة يناير؟ The article discusses Sisi's position on the January revolution, how it moved from support and containment to marginalization.