[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
Int’l human rights organizations condemn travel bans on human rights defenders Several international human rights organizations urged Egypt to lift foreign travel bans imposed on human rights activists, in light of a recent ban on prominent human rights lawyer Gamal Eid.
AFTE: Banning researchers from entering Egypt threatens academic freedoms A study carried out by the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression suggests the banning of foreign researchers from entering Egypt is largely based on their anti-government stances.
Rights groups condemn Cairo University`s revoking of lecturer study permit Over twenty rights groups condemned on Wednesday a December decision by Cairo University to end a post-graduate scholarship abroad for a staff member months after she started pursuing her studies.
HRW lambasts justice minister`s incitement to kill 10,000 MB for every dead soldier The international Human Rights Watch organization issued a statement on Monday calling on Egypt’s executive authorities to condemn the “hate speech” of Justice Minister Ahmed al-Zend, following his incitement to kill ten thousand Muslim Brotherhood members for every Egyptian soldier killed in terrorist attacks.
Update: Doctors mobilize against police violations, vote for dismissal of health minister The Doctors Syndicate has demanded the sacking of the Health Minister and his referral to the syndicate’s disciplinary committee, amid other decisions in response violations against doctors by police officers.
Free medical service in public hospitals until policemen stand trial A general assembly convened by Egypt`s Doctors Syndicate decided Friday to provide medical service to citizens for free in public hospitals starting 26 February as long as the policemen accused of assaulting doctors at Matariya Hospital are not referred to court.
Matariya policemen charged with assaulting doctors, released on bail Cairo prosecutors charged on Thursday nine low ranking policemen with “assaulting public officials” and “using violence” over the recent incident involving an attack on doctors at Matariya Education Hospital.
Egypt`s prosecution receives mobile tracking report of slain Italian student Regeni By tracking Regeni`s phone, Egypt’s general prosecution knew that he was around his home in Dokki shortly before he disappeared.
With new evidence from Giulio Regeni autopsy, Italy exhorts Egypt to heighten cooperation The Italian government is urging Egyptian authorities to heighten cooperation with their investigations into the torture and murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, whose body was found in a Cairo suburb on 3 February.
Officer investigating Giulio Regeni death previously convicted of torture, murder A senior police officer in charge of the preliminary investigation into the murder of visiting Italian student Giulio Regeni has a prior conviction for torturing a man to death and forging a police report, according to rights activists.
Police officer sentenced to 8 years in prison over death of Ismailia vet Alexandria Criminal Court sentenced a police officer to eight years in prison over the death of a veterinarian tortured in police custody, local media reported on Wednesday.
At least 20 Alexandrian young people forcibly disappeared in the last week At least twenty Alexandrian young people were taken from their homes by security forces on Thursday and Friday last week and detained and tortured, according to their families and lawyers.
Behind the sun: Is this the end of the rule of law in Egypt? The saga of young student Esraa al-Taweel, who disappeared for two weeks last year before security officers admitted to detaining her, is the best-known example of what appears to be a systematic policy of forced disappearances in Egypt.
Reported number of political prisoners is a `lie`: Egypt’s foreign minister Egypt`s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said Monday in an interview with Foreign Policy that the circulated figure of forty-thousand political prisoners in Egypt is a lie.
Court annuls sentence handed down to officer convicted of killing Shaimaa al-Sabbagh An appeals court annulled the fifteen-year sentence handed down to the officer convicted of killing Shaimaa al-Sabbagh during a peaceful protest, granting him a retrial.
After more than 600 days in pretrial detention, Aya Hegazy`s trial postponed for 4th time Cairo Criminal Court postponed the trial of Egyptian-American Aya Hegazy, who authorities accuse of running an unlicensed organization and inciting street children to protest against the regime, to 17 February. This is the fourth time Hegazy`s trial session has been delayed in the case.
Court hands life sentences to 30 Muslim Brotherhood members Mansoura Criminal Court has given life sentences to thirty members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Daqahliya after they were convicted on a range of charges, including murder.
Court orders reinvestigation into deaths of football fans at Air Defense Stadium Cairo Criminal Court ordered a reinvestigation into the deaths of at least twenty hardcore football fans, who were killed in February 2015 outside Cairo’s Air Defense Stadium.
`Hope is a patriotic duty`: Sisi hails progress in first speech to parliament Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi listed on Saturday his achievements since his inauguration and the current challenges facing the country, in his first speech in front of the newly convened parliament.
Sisi announces transfer of legislative powers in speech to Parliament President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the transfer of legislative powers from the executive authority to the House of Representatives in an address on Saturday morning, marking the end of Egypt`s legislative hiatus in which the president had assumed the power to issue laws unchecked in the absence of an elected parliament.
High-profile Egyptian MP Sirri Siam submits resignation from parliament Sirri Siam, an appointed Member of Parliament and a high-profile judicial figure, told parliamentary reporters Monday that he decided to resign from parliament.
Egypt court acquits Mubarak`s information minister of corruption charges Anas al-Fiky, Egypt`s minister of information during former president Hosni Mubarak`s rule, was acquitted of corruption by a Cairo criminal court in his retrial earlier Wednesday.
Five years on, efforts to recover Mubarak`s money are going nowhere Swiss banks froze Mubarak`s assets hours after his removal. Five years and a corruption conviction later, the money still has not moved.
Economy
Egypt`s wheat policies sow market confusion A series of back-and-forth announcements by Egyptian authorities has roiled global wheat markets and, if left unresolved, could potentially threaten supplies of the country`s most crucial food commodity.
LG denies shutting Egypt operations but admits to currency crunch, GM silent General Motors has still not made an official statement reacting to reports that it has suspended its Egypt operations due to a persistent shortage of foreign currency, but Central Bank Governor Tarek Amer has weighed in on the subject.
Cairo taxi drivers press demands to shut down Uber, Careem Cairo’s taxi drivers on Wednesday repeated their demands to the Egyptian government to immediately ban taxi service operators Uber and Careem. Egypt’s rights lawyer Khaled Ali is expected to file a lawsuit soon, representing taxi drivers against the increasingly popular companies.
Foreign Relations
Egypt`s Sisi meets with leaders of Major American Jewish organizations Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met on Thursday with the leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Cairo where they discussed a number of issues including Egyptian-US relations, the Egyptian presidency announced.
Israel retreats from claims that Egypt obeyed request to flood Gaza tunnels Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinetz`s remarks that Egypt was acting to a “certain extent at Israel’s request” by flooding the underground tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip this weekend provoked a near-frenzy in both local and international media, although officials on both sides are remaining quiet on the matter.
Egypt President Sisi to keep Gaza border open for extra day Egypt`s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi extended on Sunday the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for one more day, meaning that it will close on Monday instead of Sunday.
Fatah`s reconciliation delegation arrives in Cairo for talks A delegation from the Palestinian Fatah movement arrived in Cairo Tuesday evening to hold meetings with Egyptian officials and provide updates on the latest reconciliation talks in Doha between the movement and its rival Hamas.
As Egypt struggles with dollar shortage, US$900M loan arrives from China The fate of the one billion USD loan from the World Bank is still uncertain, but a 900 million USD loan from China has arrived at the Central Bank of Egypt.
Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia summit meeting to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh A summit meeting between the presidents of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia will be held on 20 February in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh during the African Investment Conference, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday.
Sisi approves mutual visa exemption between Egypt, Colombia President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi approved on Thursday a mutual visa exemption agreement between Egypt and Colombia for citizens of both countries.
Domestic Security
Improvised bomb kills army officer, soldier in North Sinai: Spokesperson An army officer and a soldier were killed on Saturday morning during attempts by army personneol to dismantle an improvised explosive device in North Sinai`s Karm al-Kwadis area, Egypt`s army said in a statement.
From Jadaliyya Egypt
اتفاقية باريس: أهم ملامحها ومدى تأثيرها على تغير المناخ في العالم Ragia Elgerzawy examines the motives, strengths, and shortcomings of the Paris Convention in confronting the effects of climate change in Egypt.