Egypt’s foreign affairs ministry has summoned the envoys of European countries that sent a joint statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Friday condemning Egypt’s recent crackdown on demonstrators and political dissent.
POLITICS
Sabbahi to continue presidential campaign
Hamdeen Sabbahi said he will continue the presidential race and will not allow the elections to turn into what he called a referendum. During an interview with Reuters Sabbahi expressed doubts that a Sisi presidency would bring democracy to Egypt. He also asserted that he intends to complete Egypt’s revolution saying, “A great revolution happened in this country and it will not be completed unless its people reach power . . . I am from the heart of the people. I am, without monopolizing such right, the one to represent the revolution, its demands and goals of social justice and democracy.” [Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya, Reuters, Shorouk 3/14/2014]
Shafiq backtracks from leaked criticisms of Sisi candidacy
Mubarak-era Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has responded to an audio leak in which he criticized an anticipated presidential bid by army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. He said his comments had been taken out of context and he had been speaking when speculation first emerged about a Sisi candidacy. He did not say when or where the comments were made. In a statement on Thursday, Shafiq insisted the military should not play a political role but said it had realized its mistake and had corrected it – without elaborating how – a move he said Egyptians had accepted. He also said he trusted the army to guarantee a transparent and democratic election, but the feeling of interference in favor of one candidate remained. [Ahram Online, 3/13/2014]
Also of Interest:
- Nasserist Karama Party head re-elected without opposition | Aswat Masriya
- Egypt President asserts freedom of expression in art | Aswat Masriya
COURTS
Badie being investigated for attack on police station
The South Giza prosecutor on Thursday ordered the detention of Mohamed Badie for fifteen days pending investigation into charges of killing a citizen and inciting the killing of police officers while attempting to break into a police station in October 6 City on August 16 last year. Investigators say that Badie provided 250 members of the group with automatic rifles to use if the police resisted them. [Egypt Independent 3/13/2014]
Also of Interest:
- Verdict on Adly’s profiteering case postponed to April due to illness | Egypt Independent
- Brotherhood protester gets three years prison in Assiut | Mada Masr
ECONOMY
Egypt’s finance minister denies new tax will be put on wealth
Minister of Finance Hany Qadry Dimian announced Thursday that the new wealth tax is only a proposal that has been presented by number of businessmen and has not been approved or outlined in a law. He denied that the proposed tax would be put on wealth. Instead, income above 1 million EGP would be taxed with an additional 5 percent. [Cairo Post, 3/13/2014]
Also of Interest:
- Egypt to purchase 5 million tonnes of wheat in coming season | Aswat Masriya (Arabic)
- In Egypt, the military means (big) business | Bloomberg
- Egypt covers 50 percent of foreign investors’ repatriation backlog | Reuters
- Thorny disputes: Economic implications of Gulf politics | Al-Ahram Weekly
- Egypt and COMESA | Al-Ahram Weekly
SOCIETY & MEDIA
Security forces disperse Brotherhood rally in Nasr City
Security forces used tear gas to disperse a Muslim Brotherhood rally in Nasr City on Friday. There were no reported injuries during the operation. The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy had called for demonstrations on Friday. The rally began when a small number of Brotherhood supporters began chanting against the military and the police following prayers, leading to verbal altercations with residents in the area.[Tahrir (Arabic) 3/14/2013]
Also of Interest:
- ‘Noah’ will not debut in the Muslim World | AP
- Nebny Foundation vs Cairo Governorate: A dream faces eviction | Ahram Online
- Thirty workers on hunger strike in Suez demanding improved conditions of Egypt Fertilizer | Tahrir (Arabic)
- Wall in Alexandria collapses killing six and injuring seven | Ahram Online
- Workers stage protest at brick factory in Qanater | EGYNews (Arabic)
- Workers strike at Egypt’s historic Ben-Zaion retail company | Ahram Online
SECURITY
Suspect dies in custody at Dar al-Salam police station
Prosecutors opened an investigation into the death of a fourth prisoner inside Dar al-Salam police station, who was held pending interrogations on robbery. The incident, which took place on Thursday, is the fourth suspect to die in two months while in police custody. Chief Prosecutor Hazem Lamey ordered the victim’s body transferred to Zeinhom morgue to determine the cause of death and appointed a doctor of forensic medicine to investigate the police station. He also order for other detainees to be inspected. [Egypt Independent 3/13/2014]
Also of Interest:
- June 30 fact finding committee appoints advisor to investigate torture of prison inmates | Shorouk (Arabic)
- Security around Qalubeya police station intensifies in preparation for pro-Morsi demonstrations | Shorouk (Arabic)
INTERNATIONAL
Egypt summons European envoys over human rights statement
Egypt’s foreign affairs ministry has summoned the envoys of European countries that sent a joint statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Friday condemning Egypt’s recent crackdown on demonstrators and political dissent. Hatem Seif al-Nasr, Egypt’s assistant foreign minister for European affairs, said that the summoned ambassadors will be presented with a strongly worded objection for signing the statement, which he said contained many errors and ignored the progress Egypt has made in its democratic transition, Al-Ahram‘s Arabic news website reported on Thursday. The ambassadors will also be warned that bilateral relations between their respective countries and Egypt will be damaged if they do not take action to “correct” their political stance, tantamount to what he claimed was international interference in Egypt’s internal affairs. [Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya, 3/13/2014]
Egypt’s army chief-of-staff meets with US Air Force Commander
The Egyptian army’s chief of staff Lieutenant General Sedki Sobhi met on Thursday with Lieutenant General John Hesterman, US Air Forces Central Commander for Southwest Asia, along with his accompanying delegation. Sobhi and Hesterman discussed a number of issues concerning military cooperation between Egypt and the United States, according to the Facebook page of Egypt’s army spokesman Ahmed Ali. [Ahram Online, 3/13/2014]
Also of Interest:
- Foreign Ministry: Militants kidnap seventy Egyptians in Libya | Aswat Masriya