Prosecutor General Nabil Sadek referred a report against former presidential candidate and founder of the Popular Current Hamdeen Sabbahi to prosecution for further investigation. Lawyer Ashraf Farahat accused Sabbahi of attempting to overthrow the regime and incite violence, in the wake of televised statements by the former candidate in January 2016. The lawyer also called on putting him on travel ban. The reports revealed that Sabbahi was also accused of saying “We will continue,” which according to Farahat is a slogan used by rebels that indicate their intention to protest. In his January 2016 TV appearance, Sabbahi criticized President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, asking, “If the people truly support and love you why don’t you give them what they want, the demands of the January 25 Revolution — bread, freedom and social justice?” [DNE, 2/16/2016]

COURTS

Court reduced sentence against shopping mall harasser down to two weeks
The Heliopolis Criminal Court reduced the sentence of a man charged with sexually harassing a woman in a shopping mall in Cairo from one month to two weeks on Tuesday. The court had previously sentenced him in November to one month and fined him EGP 200. The case went viral when a video of the victim being assaulted by the harasser was posted online and was broadcast on a show hosted by Reham Saeed. According to investigators, the defendant confessed to assaulting the victim after she verbally insulted him but he denied sexually harassing her. Egyptian police released a police officer on Monday who was accused of assaulting and harassing a woman in front of Al-Marg metro station. According to the victim, Ghada Hussein, the incident in question occurred after she refused to go with the police officer to his home in exchange for money. Hussein and her husband alleged that they received several threatening phone calls in which they were urged to drop the charges, that police officers arrested Hussein’s husband from their home, and threatened to bring charges of drug possession against him. They said they were discouraged from attending the investigation, which resulted in the officer’s release. [DNE, 2/17/2016]

Also of Interest

  • Detention further renewed for journalist Hisham Gaafar | Ahram Online
  • ‘Cabinet clashes’ defendants demand Judge Nagy Shehata step down | DNE

ECONOMY

Egypt rejects Canadian wheat shipment over ergot fungus
Quarantine officials at Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture have rejected a shipment of Canadian wheat, saying it contained traces of the fungus ergot. The move is the latest in a series of rejections that have caused concerns over Egypt’s strict new quality regulations. The vessel carrying Canadian wheat has been rejected twice by quarantine officials on ergot concerns. The Canadian cargo was first rejected in early February after visual inspection at the port in Abu Qir. It was barred again by officials even after three independent tests carried out by the seller found ergot levels at 0.005 percent, far below the 0.05 percent limit. Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, has been facing difficulties purchasing wheat in its import tenders since it rejected a shipment from Bunge. Wheat suppliers have refrained from making offers or added risk premiums to prices. Egypt’s quarantine officials have also reportedly started applying stricter measures to other commodities. [Reuters, Bloomberg, 2/16/2016]

Also of Interest

  • Dollar exceeds EGP 9 in Egyptian informal market for first time | DNE
  • CBE source says Egypt’s central bank currently has no intention to devalue pound | Aswat Masriya

SOCIETY & MEDIA

Doctors to hold nationwide protest Saturday over police assaults
Egypt’s Doctors’ Syndicate notified the Interior Ministry Monday of nationwide standing protests that will take place at hospitals on Saturday, February 20. The protests are being held to decry repeated assaults on doctors, according the syndicate’s official website. The protest is part of a set of measures the syndicate’s emergency general assembly voted for last Friday. Egypt’s Health Minister, meanwhile, said security posts and surveillance cameras will be installed at major hospitals, in response to mounting calls by doctors for improved security following recent assaults on physicians in Cairo. Minister Ahmed Emad al-Din said close circuit cameras will be installed to “boost security at hospitals” and “improve service by recording doctors’ attendance,” following numerous complaints by patients that doctors are not always available at the emergency centers. He added that his ministry has been working closely with police to set up security checkpoints of armed personnel at major public hospitals. [Ahram Online, AMAY, 2/17/2016]

Social media campaign fails to get jailed minor released for parents’ funeral
A hashtag campaign on Monday night failed to obtain the release of jailed teenager Ahmed Qasem for his parents’ funeral. The hashtag “Release Ahmed to bury his parents” had spread on social media, but the funeral for Qasem’s mother and father, who were both killed in a car accident while crossing a road on the way to visit the 17-year-old in prison, passed without his release. Afterward several people changed the call to request that Qasem be released to spend time with his family. He is jailed on charges of plotting what’s known as the “Three Pyramids Hotel attack,” said to have taken place on Giza’s Haram Street in January. [Mada Masr, DNE, 2/16/2016]

Also of Interest

SECURITY

ISIS Egypt claims fatal Giza checkpoint attack
A police officer was killed and two others were wounded late Tuesday when gunmen shot at their checkpoint in the town of Badrashin, Giza, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement. The statement added that the unknown assailants were on a motorbike as they shot at the checkpoint. ISIS Egypt claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement published on social media, the group claimed that the attack left “three police personnel dead including a policeman and at least five others injured.” The statement could not be independently verified. [AMAY, Aswat Masriya, 2/17/2016]

Army clashes with militants in al-Arish, casualties reported
The Egyptian Army continued its operations Monday against militants in the area of al-Arish in North Sinai, with reports of casualties among militants. Tribal sources said that a reported five “extremists” were killed as the Armed Forces raided a den allegedly used by members of the militant group Sinai State. The sources said the Armed Forces used helicopters to execute the attack. The Armed Forces Spokesperson could not confirm the exact number of casualties in the raid and said that “such operations occur on a daily basis in all strategic directions.” Neither state media nor the Armed Forces have published reports or statements about the raid. [DNE, 2/16/2016]

Also of Interest

  • Minister to tackle ‘security deficiency’ at Giza Pyramids, installing security cameras | AMAY

INTERNATIONAL

Sisi, Shoukry meet Kuwait’s Foreign Minister
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Tuesday with the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister and First Deputy Prime Minister Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah in the Presidential Palace in Cairo, and discussed bilateral relations. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri also attended the meetings. Sabah asserted Kuwait’s keenness on supporting Egypt on its “developmental path” in various fields, Presidential Spokesperson Alaa Youssef said. According to a presidential statement on Tuesday, the meeting involved discussions regarding the latest developments in the Arab region. The two parties agreed on the need to strengthen joint Arab efforts to counter current challenges and work towards conflict resolution. Shoukri and his Kuwaiti counterpart also organized a press conference Tuesday, where Shoukri stated that Egypt considers the Saudi decision to send ground troops to Syria a “unilateral and sovereign” decision that does not come within the context of the Islamic Anti-terrorism alliance. [DNE, Aswat Masriya, SIS, 2/16/2016]

Also of Interest

  • Ministry of Immigration launches online database for Egyptians abroad | Ahram Online
  • Egypt closes Gaza border after rare three-day opening | AFP
  • Egypt confirms arrest of four Egyptian fishermen in Saudi Arabia | Ahram Online, DNE, Aswat Masriya
  • Unionist: Missing fishermen from Sudanese boat are alive | DNE