[This is a collection of news updates on Egypt compiled from multiple sources by the editors.]
Brotherhood`s Ex-Youth Minister Arrested in Cairo
Muslim Brotherhood leading member and former minister of youth Osama Yassin arrested in Cairo along with Kahirat El-Shater`s secretary Mohamed Hafez.
Egyptian security forces in Cairo arrested on Monday former minister of youth and Muslim Brotherhood leading member Osama Yassin, who faces multiple charges of murder and inciting violence.
Mohamed Hafez, secretary of the Brotherhood`s former deputy supreme guide Khairat El-Shater was also arrested.
The two men were reportedly captured in a villa in Cairo`s eastern outskirts.
The prosecutor-general had ordered on 31 July the arrest of several Brotherhood figures, including Yassin, who served as Egypt`s minister of youth from June 2012 to July 2013.
A dozen Brotherhood leaders and hundreds of members, as well as leading Islamist figures, were arrested over the past week, mainly on charges of inciting violence. The mass arrests come in the wake of the police dispersal of two protest camps in Cairo that supported ousted Brotherhood-affiliated president Mohamed Morsi.
On Sunday, the first hearing of Mohamed Badie, supreme guide of the Brotherhood until his arrest, and of his two deputies, Khairat El-Shater and Rashad Bayoumi, was deferred to 29 October because the defendants could not attend for security reasons.
They are accused of inciting the murder of protesters who died outside the Brotherhood`s Cairo headquarters on the evening of 30 June, as angry groups had stormed and ransacked the building.
The Brotherhood have been staging demonstrations and sit-ins in protest of what they describe as a "coup" against former president Morsi, since he was deposed by the army on 3 July as a result of mass nationwide protests against him.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online]
1876 Protesters Arrested Since Sit-In Dispersals: FDEP
Front for Defense of Egyptian Protesters releases comprehensive list of those arrested since the dispersal of the sit-ins, between 14 and 21 August.
The Front for Defense of Egyptian Protesters has released a comprehensive list of the names and details of protesters arrested since 14 August. The report, released on 21 August, shows that 1876 protesters were arrested and eleven declared as missing during the period from 14 August until 21 August.
Many of those detained were arrested during the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adawiya sit-in on 14 August. They face charges of murder, attempting to kill, being a member of an armed gang, infringing on security forces and being in possession of weapons.
The report shows that 815 were sent to Abu Zaabal prison and were detained for fifteen days, whilst others were released on bail.
According to the FDEP, thirty-seven of the detainees, who were due to be sent to the Abu Zaabal prison north of Cairo, died in transit.
The Ministry of Interior stated last week that detainees had died during their transportation to prison, explaining that the deaths were as a result of suffocation by tear gas, which was fired by security forces during an escape attempt.
Of the total number of detainees, 174 were arrested during the dispersal of the Al-Nahda sit-in. The detainees were accused of killing, attempting to kill, being a member of an armed gang, infringing on the security forces and being in possession of weapons.
Hundreds were sent to Tora prison and received a fifteen-day sentence.
Security forces dispersed the two main sit-ins, which were staged in support of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo`s Rabaa Al-Adawiya and Giza`s Nahda square in the early hours of Sunday 14 August. More than 600 were reported dead and thousands injured during the crackdown.
The list also asserts that 642 protesters were arrested during the Ramsis clashes on 21 August and were charged with attempting to kill, possession of weapons, destruction of property, joining armed groups and infringing on security forces. All detainees were given a fifteen-day detention, except for three who were released.
Ramsis square in central Cairo has witnessed fierce clashes between supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi and opponents, including security forces, in the aftermath of the dispersal of the sit-ins at Rabaa and Al-Nahda.
The remainder were arrested during a number of other clashes, which have taken place over the last two weeks.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online]
Egypt`s Mahalla Textile Workers on Strike Again
Workers in Egypt`s largest public textile factory stopped their machines and declared an open ended strike until their demands are met.
Ten thousand shift workers at the Egyptian public sector Weaving and Textile Company in Mahalla City commenced a strike on Monday morning, claiming the company`s administration did not respect the payment deadline for their profit-sharing bonus.
Mahalla workers, totaling around twenty-four thousand, went on strike last month after they were paid only half of their agreed bonus (the equivalent of forty-five days salary). Management promised they would receive the remaining sum with their August pay checks, but this did not materialize.
``The ministry of finance delayed the payment because of the current economical situation," Ibrahim Badr, head of the company told Ahram Online. "I cannot say exactly when the money will be available, but it will not take longer than a few days," he added.
In contradiction with the workers story, Badr says only a few hundred of the company`s task force went on strike.
The strikers raised other demands, including the dismissal of the head of the Holding Company for weaving and spinning, Fouad Abdel-Alim, and the suspension of the current state-run trade union committee, which has been accused by the workers of siding with management.
``The dismissal of Fouad Abdel-Alim is a main demand. We know him very well. The company will not flourish as long as he is in this position," Kamal El-Fayoumi, a worker who has become a renowned figure after playing a key role in strikes staged before Mubarak’s ouster, told Ahram Online.
"It is not the workers` business to decide who should be dismissed or appointed; it is the state`s responsibility," Badr comments.
Negotiations are underway between representatives of the workers and the military governor of Al-Mahalla regarding the way out of this stalemate.
The feud between Abdel-Alim and Mahalla workers has been ongoing for years, since he was head of the company.
After 25 January he was removed from his post amidst substantial strikes. ``We believed it (Abdel-Alim`s removal from post) was in response to the workers, but the government later promoted him," El-Fayoumi said.
Mahalla workers, with a long tradition of militancy, have led many strikes, both before and after 25 January 2011. They commenced a wave of labor action in 2006, and again in 2008, representing an open challenge to the then-Mubarak regime.
In 2008, the Nile Delta city of Mahalla became home to the largest anti-regime protests of the thirty-year Mubarak era.
Beginning as a workers` strike, protests grew into a widespread struggle following clashes with security forces. For the first time, images of a tarnished, trampled upon poster of Mubarak circulated on the internet, signalling the beginning of the fall of Egypt’s then-feared dictator.
Strikes by Mahalla workers against ousted president Mubarak’s regime gained widespread popularity and are believed by many activists and analysts in Egypt to have significantly contributed to setting the stage for the outbreak of the 25 January Revolution.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online]
Egypt`s Presidency to Hold Talks With Salafist Nour Party
Presidential media adviser is expected to discuss ways to end the current political crisis with the party, a key political player.
Presidential media advisor Ahmed El-Muslimany is expected to meet with the Salafist Nour Party as part of the recent discussions the Egyptian presidency has been holding with different political groups.
El-Muslimany, who met with Nasserist Party head Sameh Ashour on Saturday, is expected to meet with the Nour Party leadership on Wednesday.
Younis Makhioun, the president of the Nour Party, said on Monday that the party will present its vision for ending Egypt’s current political crisis at the meeting on Wednesday.
The party’s solution includes ending violence, upholding the rule of law and respecting human rights, Makhioun said.
The proposal also includes a commitment to democracy for those who do not practice violence.
Nader Bakkar, Nour Party spokesperson, said to Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website that there are many demands that will be presented during the meeting with El-Muslimany, and that the group would also raise a reconciliation initiative proposed by Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa El-Din last week.
Bahaa El-Din presented his proposal to the cabinet on Wednesday.
The initiative calls for the rejection of violence, as well as the rejection of the exclusion of any political or ideological forces in Egypt, as long as these groups abide by the law.
Furthermore, it calls for moving forward with the roadmap assumed by the government to hold a referendum on constitutional amendments followed by parliamentary and presidential elections.
The Nour Party, the second largest Islamist party in Egypt after the Muslim Brotherhood`s Freedom and Justice Party, was the only Islamist group to openly support the army`s removal of Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi from power in July amid mass protests against him across the country.
Following his ouster, the party opposed a proposition for Mohamed ElBaradei to be prime minister, later accepting him as a vice-president for foreign affairs. ElBaradei resigned from the post following police deadly crackdown on pro-Morsi protest camps in mid-August.
On Sunday, the Nour Party said it had decided to participate in the fifty-member committee tasked with amending to the country`s temporarily suspended 2012 constitution, saying it wants to defend "articles of identity which constitute a true representation of the Egyptian people," referring to articles that deal with Islamic law in the constitution.
El-Muslimany has also met with former presidential contender Amr Moussa, and El-Sayed El-Badawi, head of the liberal Wafd Party.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online]
Brotherhood`s El-Shater Given Fresh Incitement Charge
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood second-man Khairat El-Shater and Islamist preacher Safwat Hegazi are accused of inciting violence near Cairo University on 3 July.
Egyptian prosecutors on Monday charged leading Muslim Brotherhood figure Khairat El-Shater and Islamist preacher Safwat Hegazi with inciting violence against protesters in July.
El-Shater, the group’s second-in-command, was arrested with his brother two days after the 3 July ouster of president Mohamed Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood.
El-Shater and Hegazi, who was arrested last week, are accused of inciting violence against anti-Morsi protesters in Giza on 3 July, the night of Morsi’s ouster.
At least sixteen died during the clashes near Cairo University, close to Al-Nahda Square where a pro-Morsi sit-in was being staged.
Prosecutors also extended both men’s legal detention period by fifteen days pending investigation into the Monday charges.
El-Shater is also facing charges of inciting violence at different set of violent clashes between Morsi`s opponents and supporters in late June.
Six Brotherhood members including El-Shater and Mohamed Badie, the group’s spiritual leader, are accused of inciting deadly violence at clashes outside the group’s headquarters in the Cairo district of Mokattam on 30 June.
The first court session was held on Sunday, although the defendants were absent for security reasons.
Egypt`s security forces have been cracking down on the Islamist group and its allies in recent weeks, carrying out mass arrests of the group’s leaders and members countrywide.
The country`s interim government accuses Brotherhood leaders of committing "acts of terror" against their opponents.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online]
Secularists to Dominate Egypt`s Final Constitution-Drafting Process
Representatives of secular forces are expected to dominate the fifty-member committee entrusted with writing the final draft of Egypt`s new constitution.
The first stage of Egypt`s post-30 June political roadmap was completed on Monday. A ten-member technical committee entrusted with amending the 2012 Islamist-backed constitution passed its draft to interim President Adly Mansour.
The committee was formed in accordance with Article 28 of the constitutional declaration issued by Mansour on 8 July, after Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was ousted from office on 3 July.
The second stage is expected to begin within days, with President Mansour issuing a decree forming a fifty-member committee representing all segments of society to write the final draft of Egypt`s new constitution.
According to Article 29 of the 8 July declaration, the fifty-member committee must include representatives of political parties, intellectuals, workers, farmers, unionists, and national councils.
It must also be composed of representatives of Al-Azhar, Egyptian Churches, the armed forces, police, public figures and at least ten figures representing youth and women.
Informed sources close to the ten-member technical committee revealed to Ahram Online that: "The presidency has already received the names nominated by political, religious, social and economic institutions to form the fifty-member committee."
The lists show that secular forces are slated to gain a majority in the fifty-member committee entrusted with completing the constitution before it is put to a national referendum.
Islamists, who dominated the hundred-member constituent assembly that drafted Egypt`s 2012 constitution, will be a minority.
The secularists will primarily belong to liberal and leftist (Nasserist and nationalist) factions. Islamist representatives will be confined to two forces: the ultraconservative Salafist Nour Party and Al-Azhar.
The initial list of the secularist representatives will include liberals such as former foreign minister Amr Moussa, Journalists` Syndicate leader and Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies director Diaa Rashwan, and leftists such as Sameh Ashour, Lawyers` Syndicate chairman and chairman of the Arab Nasserist Party.
The list will also include Mahmoud Badr and Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, liberals representing the Tamarod movement which spearheaded the 30 June protests against Morsi.
Liberals will include Manal El-Taibi, a female political and human rights activist who withdrew from the Islamist-dominated constituent assembly in 2012 because she objected to articles imposing a strict Islamic code and violating the rights of women and children.
Liberals are also expected to include high-profile constitutional law professor Mohamed Nour Farahat, representing the Egyptian Social Democratic Party.
At the top of the list of leftist members is Abdel-Ghaffar Shukr, representing the Socialist Popular Current and Tagammu.
Informed sources told Ahram Online that the presidency stipulated that lawyers`, journalists`, doctors` and engineers` syndicates should send one representative each.
The Engineers` Syndicate is currently controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, and it is unclear how its representative will be chosen, given that the Islamic group has been opposing the ongoing roadmap in continued protests against Morsi`s overthrow.
As for religious institutions, sources indicated that Hassan Al-Shafie, deputy to Al-Azhar`s grand imam, is likely to represent Al-Azhar. Another figure representing Al-Azhar is expected to join the committee.
Informed sources also indicated that figures representing Egypt`s three main Churches (Coptic, Anglican and Catholic) will be selected as members of the committee. Anpa Pola, archbishop of the Nile Delta’s Tanta province, will represent the Coptic Church, while priest Safwat El-Biyadi is expected to represent the Anglican Church.
Major-General Mamdouh Shahin is expected to represent the armed forces, although several political activists accuse him of collaborating with Islamists while drafting the 2012 constitution.
The controversial Article 219
Nour Party will have just one representative who is expected to be party chairman Younis Makhyoun. Nour announced on Sunday that it would join the fifty-member committee.
In a statement issued on 25 August, Nour said it had decided to participate in order to defend the Islamic identity of Egypt. It added that it is against eliminating Article 219 of the 2012 constitution, which defines the "principles" of Islamic Sharia referenced in Article 2. "This article (219) is necessary to reinforce Sunni Islam and stem the growth of Shiism in Egypt," said the statement.
Nour complained that "the ten-member technical committee which took charge of amending the 2012 constitution was by no means an elected body. How can an unelected body bear the responsibility of drafting Egypt`s new constitution?"
Nour`s statement was sharply criticized by secular forces. Prominent lawyer Essam El-Islambouli said: "Nour is by no means authorized to give a judgment on the ten-member technical committee... Let us recall that most constitution-drafting committees formed since the January 25 Revolution in 2011 were by no means elected."
"The Nour Party itself, under the Morsi regime, called for forming a committee to amend the 2012 constitution," he added.
El-Islambouli also said: "Article 219 is a mean of delivering an interpretation of Islamic Sharia but it rather helps Islamists impose a strict form of Islam on Egyptians."
Secular political activists, he added, believe "Nour`s decision to join the fifty-member committee is just a tactic."
Tamarod`s Badr said: "We believe this Islamist party will eventually withdraw from the committee when it finds that most forces are in favor of removing Article 219. It will then exploit this withdrawal to stigmatize the new constitution as reflecting secular and anti-Islam values."
The Freedom and Justice Party newspaper–the mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood–came out on Sunday, alleging that: "The new constitution will give liberals and secularists the right to insult Islam and spread immorality."
Injy Hamdi, a founding member of the April 6 Movement, on Monday asked: "How can a religious party whose members refuse to stand up while the national anthem is playing, incite violence against Shias, and support codifying the marriage of children, be allowed to join the constitution-drafting process?"
Badr said: "Secularists and revolutionaries will never allow Islamist forces–such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Nour–to impose their medieval viewpoints on the new constitution."
El-Islambouli argued that: "With the exception of Article 2, which states that Islamic Sharia is the major source of legislation in Egypt, all other Islamic Sharia articles must be removed because they aim to impose a strict Islamic code on Egypt."
He noted that: "Al-Azhar, the highest authority in Sunni Islam, never asked the Morsi regime for an article delivering an interpretation of Islamic Sharia.”
He added: "The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar himself stressed many times that Al-Azhar is not interested in drafting any articles that give an interpretation of Islamic Sharia or even that grant its council of grand clerics a final say on Islamic Sharia matters."
Al-Azhar stressed that the Supreme Constitutional Court must be left to deliver the final say on Islamic Sharia issues.
The ten-member technical committee decided to cut Article 4 short, stripping Al-Azhar`s council of grand clerics the right to have a say on Islamic Sharia issues.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online]