On November 17, the Cairo Criminal Court adjourned an appeal by 13 Egyptian human rights advocates challenging the travel bans against them issued in Case No. 173 until December 14. Since the trial has not yet begun, they are left in “a state of legal limbo.” Case 173 is also known as the NGO foreign funding case and began nearly nine years ago.
- The travel ban hearing had already been adjourned twice this year. As the advocates’ lawyers have pointed out, travel bans are only legal for a maximum period of two years; the travel bans being appealed “were issued between four and five years ago and have legally expired.”
- Since 2014, there have been investigations into the funding and work of NGOs as well as a travel ban on at least 30 employees of NGOs. The first stage of Case 173 wrapped up in 2013 when 42 NGO workers were given prison sentences between one and five years. These defendants were later acquitted in 2018, but the second stage of the case against domestic NGOs continues.
At least three members of the Egyptian security forces were killed by a bomb on November 17 in northern Sinai. The attack—for which no one has yet claimed responsibility—also wounded four others. Egyptian security forces have been fighting an Islamic State insurgency in the area since 2013, but the government has kept a tight lid on reporting from the region.
- As the Associated Press notes, access to this area is heavily restricted, “making it difficult to verify claims related to the fighting,” but anonymous officials confirmed this latest incident.
- Egyptian forces began a major campaign against the Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula in February 2018 in order to, according to the government, “cleanse the areas that are terrorist strongholds to safeguard the Egyptian people from the evils of terrorism and extremism.” However, Human Rights Watch has raised serious concerns about human rights violations in the Sinai and described the campaign as leaving “thousands of civilian victims in its wake.”
Minister of Supply Ali Moselhy announced on November 16 that the government will be decreasing prices on certain subsidized food products beginning in December. No specific reason was given for the decision, but food subsidies have recently been a hot-button issue.
- 1.8 million Egyptians were added back to the food subsidy program after the September protests, in an apparent effort to avert further unrest. In February, the Ministry of Supply announced it was tightening requirements for subsidies, with new rules for qualifying for subsidies that take into consideration monthly electricity use, luxury car ownership, and children enrolled in foreign schools.
- More than 60 million Egyptians—out of 100 million people in the country—are registered for food subsidies. Austerity measures have had a severe impact on the country’s population; about one-third of Egyptians live below the poverty line.
And finally, Jonathan Cohen, the United States’ new ambassador to Egypt, arrived in Cairo on November 17.
- In his 30-year career as a foreign service officer, Cohen’s previous postings include Paris, Rome, and Baghdad, and he has served as the Acting U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations since January 2019.
- The United States has been without an ambassador in Egypt since 2017 when Robert S. Beecroft left the position after completing his three-year term.
|
|
