[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
Update: 152 protesters sentenced to 2-5 years for April 25 protests According to the Front to Defend Egyptian Protesters, 152 protesters were handed sentences of two to five years in prison on Saturday for participating in protests on 25 April against the transfer of sovereign control of the Red Sea Islands Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia.
Head of parliament’s human rights committee defends youth imprisoned for protesting island deal Head of the Egyptian parliament’s human rights committee Mohamed El-Sadat criticized on Sunday a verdict that sentenced more than 150 youth to between two and five years in prison for protesting against an Egyptian-Saudi Red Sea maritime border demarcation deal.
Activist Sanaa Seif being held at Qanatar Prison After turning herself in to authorities on Saturday, activist Sanaa Seif is being held at Qanatar Women’s Prison, according to her sister Mona Seif.
Cairo court releases 6 April activist Sherif El-Roubi on bail A Cairo court ordered the release of Sherif al-Rouby, a 6 April Movement activist, on 1,000 LE bail after he was charged with illegally protesting against the Egyptian-Saudi Red Sea island deal.
EIPR: Egypt uses extended pretrial detention in place of emergency law The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights issued a new report on Tuesday, asserting that the state has used extended pretrial detention as a tool for political punishment after administrative detention under Egypt’s emergency law was made unconstitutional in 2013.
Detention of journalists Amr Badr, Mahmoud Sakka extended for 15 days The detention of journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud al-Sakka was extended for fifteen days pending investigations, according to lawyer Khaled Ali.
Update: More members of online satirical troupe arrested Following the arrest of their youngest member, Ezz Eddin Khaled, all five other members of the online satirical troupe Atfal al-Shawarea were arrested Monday evening.
Member of satirical troupe released, 4 others to be detained for 15 days Nineteen-year-old actor and student Ezz Eddin Khaled, a member of the satirical Atfal al-Shawarea troupe, was released on Tuesday, while four other arrested group members were ordered to be detained for fifteen days pending investigations.
Atfal al-Shawarea: A fatherly fear of sarcasm and the street On Tuesday the prosecution extended the detention of four performers of the six-member Atfal al-Shawrea troupe by fifteen days, pending investigation.
Hundreds take to social media against the detention of young satirical group members A social media campaign of mobile phone selfies quickly went viral on Wednesday after the members of the group, Street Children, were detained for fifteen days on Tuesday.
Security detains, interrogates American journalist and worker in Mahalla An American journalist was detained and questioned by security forces on Tuesday while conducting research about labor issues relating to the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company in Mahalla al-Kubra, along with former company employee Kamal al-Fayoumy.
AUC student released days after on-campus demonstrations American University in Cairo student Ibrahim Tamer was released on Monday days after a few hundred students demonstrated on campus calling for his release, according to the Free Bebo campaign established in his support.
Baseera poll indicates declining approval for Sisi A recent poll indicates a seventy-nine percent approval rating for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after twenty-two months in office, a decline from an earlier poll conducted after the first one hundred days of Sisi`s presidency, which indicated eighty-two percent approval.
Sisi orders another 44 judges into early retirement The influence of Egypt’s executive authority on the judiciary was evident this week as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued two decrees forcing another forty-four judges into early retirement, and a third decree appointing a new deputy chief justice to the Supreme Constitutional Court.
27 people detained in Luxor following clashes with police The Luxor prosecution remanded twenty-seven people into custody for four days on Saturday pending investigations into their involvement in fierce clashes between police and residents of Ashey Village.
Policeman accused of shooting, injuring driver released East Cairo Prosecution ordered on Monday the release of a police officer accused of shooting and injuring a microbus driver last month.
Egypt court sentences government officials to prison over bribery An Egyptian court sentenced on Wednesday thirteen Ministry of Agriculture officials to prison on bribery charges, one month after a former agriculture minister was convicted of the same charge in a separate case.
The Panama Papers: What’s new on Egypt, and why should you care? Osama Diab, a transparency and anti-corruption officer at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, is interviewed about the contents of the database, and the new information uncovered about Egypt and about offshore companies in general.
Death penalty recommendations for journalists `new low` for Egypt - CPJ The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned on Wednesday an Egyptian court`s recommendations to hand death sentences to three journalists who are convicted in the "Qatar espionage" case along with ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
Egypt`s Press syndicate calls for meeting on Wednesday to discuss latest in police dispute Egypt`s press syndicate called for a meeting of its members on Wednesday to follow up on the latest developments in the ongoing dispute with the interior ministry.
Economy
Egyptian tourism declines by 47.2 pct in March - CAPMAS The number of tourists visiting Egypt fell by 47.2 percent in March compared to the same month last year, the official statistics agency said Monday, as tourism continues to suffer the consequences of a 2015 Russian plane crash above Egypt`s Sinai.
Egypt`s annual consumer price inflation rose by 10.9 pct in April - state statistics agency Egypt’s monthly consumer price inflation rose by 1.5 percent in April compared to March, the official statistics agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
Egypt`s foreign currency shortage to worsen - Standard and Poor`s Egypt`s foreign currency shortage crisis is moving towards further complexity, according to projections made by the credit rating agency Standard and Poor`s.
Egypt to import 80,000 tonnes of rice ahead of Ramadan Egypt`s government has directed state grains buyer GASC to import 80,000 tons of rice "immediately" ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the cabinet said in a statement on Friday.
EgyptAir pilots strike, flights delayed EgyptAir pilots` strike has led to the delay of nine international and domestic flights, including a trip to New York, sources at Cairo International airport said on Saturday.
EgyptAir pilots end strike after reaching agreement with company - sources A strike by EgyptAir pilots, which resulted in the cancellation or delay of forty flights in the past five days, has ended on Sunday, according to sources in the Egyptian airline.
Foreign Relations
Tourism federation compensates families of Mexican tourists killed in military airstrike In the absence of state-issued compensation, the private sector Egyptian Tourism Federation has begun paying compensation to families of Mexican tourists killed in the Western Desert by Egyptian security forces in September 2015.
Mexico ‘dissatisfied, surprised’ with Egypt`s response to Mexican nationals killed in military airstrike Mexico’s foreign affairs ministry has announced that it is dissatisfied and surprised by the Egyptian government’s reaction to a military airstrike that killed eight Mexican tourists in the Western Desert last year.
Egypt`s defence minister discusses military cooperation with head of Sudan`s military intelligence Egyptian Defense Minister Sedki Sobhi met on Sunday with the head of Sudan`s military intelligence Ali Mohamed Salem to discuss enhancing military cooperation between the two Nile Basin countries.
UK committed to strengthening military cooperation with Egypt: British official A senior Middle East official at the UK`s defense ministry visited Cairo on Thursday and met with local officials including the Egyptian deputy defense minister, according to an embassy press release.
Shoukry, Kerry discuss regional issues, Paris peace conference Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry had a "long meeting" on Friday with his American counterpart John Kerry in New York, during which the pair discussed regional affairs, Egypt’s foreign ministry said.
Germany resumes flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, warns citizens against non-essential travel Germany’s Transport Ministry agreed on Tuesday to resume flights to the Red Sea resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh, lifting a six-month ban on flights following the downing of a Russian plane that killed all 224 people on board in late October 2015.
Domestic Security
North Sinai state of emergency contained, did not eliminate militancy – prime minister Egypt’s prime minister said on Tuesday that the declaration of the state of emergency in some areas in North Sinai did not eliminate militancy but helped in containing and minimizing it.
IED explosion kills police conscript, injures officer Egypt`s North Sinai A police conscript was killed and a low-ranking officer wounded in the early hours of Sunday when an improvised explosive device went off as a police patrol vehicle was driving through North Sinai`s Al-Arish, according to an interior ministry statement.
From Jadaliyya Egypt
Digital Activism and Civil Society in the Middle East (Beirut, 3-4 June) "The Media Project” at the Arab Studies Institute announces its workshop on digital activism, civil society, and media in the Middle East, an event featuring some of the most creative and revolutionary activists, journalists, and technologists from Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia.
ملف خاص حول رسامي كاريكاتير عرب A special file dedicated to Arab caricature artists and their contribution to the political discourse.
رسامو كاريكاتير عرب: الفن والثورة Aws Yacoub explores the contribution of Arab caricature artists during and in the wake of recent revolutions.