Hundreds arrested after protests in Egypt

(Sept. 24)More than 500 people have been arrested in Egypt after recent protests against President Abdel al-Sisi according to the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights who published a list of those detained.

Human rights activist among those arrested

A recent article notes: "They include Mahienour El-Massry, a leading human rights lawyer who was arrested outside the state security prosecutor’s headquarters on Sunday as she was leaving after visiting others in detention."

The protests

There were large protests in Cairo and other cities on Friday night. There were smaller protests on Saturday night in the port city of Suez. Protesters shouted "leave Sisi" and called for the fall of the regime. Sisi had arrived in New York Friday for the UN General Assembly meeting. There were protests outside the hotel where he was staying.

Mohamed Ali's critical videos

Exiled businessman Mohamed Ali had posted critical You Tube videos: "Mr Ali, also a film actor, claimed in the video clips that he was owed millions of pounds by the military for work he has done. He accused the military, the president and his family of corruption which cost the treasury billions of pounds. He also accused Mr El Sisi of squandering state funds on new presidential palaces and of giving the go-ahead to projects he described as unnecessary or not economically feasible."

Egypt has not only suffered from corruption and mishandling of money under Al-Sisi. The poverty rate has increased since Al-Sisi took power. A third of the populations is now said to live below the poverty line. These are the first major demonstrations to take place since Sisi ousted the Mohammed Morsi the democratically elected president.

Earlier demonstrations put down with many casualties

In August of 2013 huge demonstrations in support of the ousted president were brutally dispersed: "On 14 August 2013, Egyptian security forces and army under the command of general Abdel Fattah el-Sisi raided two camps of protesters in Cairo: one at al-Nahda Square and a larger one at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square. The two sites had been occupied by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, who had been removed from office by the military a month earlier in a military coup d'etat against him. The camps were raided after initiatives to end the six-week sit-ins by peaceful means failed and as a result of the raids the camps were cleared out within hours.[8] The raids were described by Human Rights Watch as "one of the world's largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history".[9] According to Human Rights Watch, a minimum of 817 people and more likely at least 1,000 died during the dispersal.[10] However, according to the Egyptian Health Ministry, 638 people were killed on 14 August (of which 595 were civilians and 43 police officers) and at least 3,994 were injured.[6][11][12] The Muslim Brotherhood and the National Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy (NCSL) stated the number of deaths from the Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque sit-in alone was about 2,600." Whatever the actual number killed it is clear that it was at the very least in the hundreds.

However, US president Trump is still a strong supporter of Al-Sisi a support he stressed at his meeting with him at the UN General Assembly meeting on Monday. Trump said that Egypt had a great leader when he was questioned about the recent protests.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Mohammed el-Baradei threatened after he criticizes Egyptian president

Exiled Egyptian statesman Mohammed el-Baradei served briefly as vice-president of Egypt after the popularly-backed military coup of 2013 by now president Abdel Fatah el-Sisi.

El Baradei was Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IEAE) from 1997 to 2009. He was featured fairly often in the western press during the 2011 revolution that ousted Mubarak and the 2013 coup against elected president Morsi.

In a recent interview, El-Baradei was critical of military rule. He questioned whether military leaders have the skills necessary for civilian rule. Some Egyptian MPs are calling for El-Baradei's citizenship be revoked and some social media users are saying he should face the death penalty for treason. El-Baradei is currently in self-exile in Austria. In an interview on the Arabic news channel Al-Araby El-Baradei said: A graduate of the armed forces can be a great commander, but he won’t know how to run the Education Ministry. The logical consequence is that authoritarian rule creates extremist groups.”

There are also moves to strip El-Baradei of the Order of the Nile, which is Egypt's highest state honour. El-Baradei actually received the order from then-president Hosni Mubarak in 2006 after El-Baradei won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the (IAEA). Tariq Mahmoud a politician supportive of el-Sisi filed a legal bid to have El-Baradei stripped of the honour because he is guilty of "plotting with foreign actors to embarass the Egyptian state". Recipients of the order are given a monthly stipend and provided a military funeral with full honours. After the interview, many on social media accused El-Baradei of being a US agent.

El-Baradei responded to the criticism by tweeting that the attempt to strip him of his citizenship was a sign of rising fascism in Egypt. A number of El-Baradei's phone calls have been leaked in which he allegedly attacks high profile Egyptian military and political leaders. El-Baradei claims that at least one phone call to his brother had been doctored before being released.

While El-Baradei had agreed to serve as vice-president after the el-Sisi coup he resigned in protest at the Rabaa massacre which the army dispersed killing hundreds of protesters. While some hold El-Baradei responsible for the massacre he denies having any prior knowledge of the army actions and claims that his aim was to avoid civil war.

In an interview with the Austrian newspaper DiePresse in January 2015, El-Baradei said that he fully supported participation in elections of all Egyptian political movements and parties including the Muslim Brotherhood which has now been declared a terrorist organization. El-Baradei said:“One of the lessons of the Arab Spring is that we need national unity, inclusion.... We need inclusion, just as in Tunisia. There the Islamists are in parliament. This is the only way. You can not demonise them for ever, as in Egypt today. Egypt has a very angry, polarised society. The Islamists will not dissolve into thin air. It is a big mistake to push the Muslim Brotherhood underground. One doesn’t need to be Einstein to understand this….those who want moderation must welcome the Islamists. Pushing them underground will only reap violence and extremism. This is one of the major lessons to be learned from the Arab Spring.”President El-Sisi is continuing to demonise the Brotherhood, with many in jail and many facing death sentences. Egypt is plagued by violence caused by extremists just as El-Baradei predicted.

IMF loan to Egypt comes with conditions the will hurt ordinary Egyptians

The Egyptian economy has done poorly during the presidency of Abdel el-Sisi. The IMF is coming to the rescue with a three year loan package of $12 billion.

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A Bloomberg article suggests that the loan is most likely to be good money thrown after bad. The loan is expected to be bolstered by further funds from Arab Gulf States. During the last three years, Egypt has received about $50 billion from Gulf supporters but the economy remains in the doldrums. The tourism industry has more or less collapsed and there is a lack of foreign investment. The amount of foreign currency just to supply imported basic needs for Egyptians now exceeds $80 billion.

The official jobless rate in Egypt is around 13 percent, but the rate for young people is more than double that. The annual trade deficit is about 7 percent of GDP while the budget deficit is about 12 percent. Tunisia with similar problems has a budget deficit of just 4.4 percent.

While the collapse of the tourist industry contributes to Egypt's economic woes, the economic policies of the government have also contributed. The government likes to spend huge amounts on mega-projects often of dubious worth instead of spending on basic infrastructure. El-Sisi's dream of a new capital at a cost of $45 billion appears to have been shelved fortunately. While the government started programs of cuts to fuel and agricultural subsidies, to decrease red tape, and raise taxes, they were all dropped. A plan to let the Egyptian pound depreciate was also dropped but inflation has increased.

The IMF is now demanding that el-Sisi devalue the pound and impose a value-added tax (VAT). Such measures will increase costs to consumers. Already a quarter of the 90 million Egyptians live in poverty. Almost the same percentage are illiterate. With a growing population Egypt could soon run out of water, especially as it employs some agricultural practices wasteful of water. The education system is totally inadequate and underfunded. Even el-Sisi admitted in 2014 that the nation needed 30,000 new teachers. However, money was not budgeted to hire them. Bloomberg concludes:Egypt should invest in simple infrastructure such as roads, schools and water-supply systems; make it easier for small and medium-sized business to get bank loans; and break up the military-industrial monopolies in everything from washing machines to olive oil. It also needs to end the crackdown on civil society, and move toward a free and fair presidential election.Much of the economy is controlled by the army. El-Sisi is not about to allow any political freedoms that might threaten his power and that of the armed forces.

The IMF has had a long history of negotiations with Egypt after the 2011 elections but there was opposition to conditions imposed so the negotiations were shelved. Under the Mohamed Morsi regime the negotiations were renewed.

A package of $4.7 billion was negotiated. Eventually the IMF backed out of negotiations because it said there was lack of political support for the deal. The IMF demands a sales taxk of 12.5 percent that was not acceptable to the Morsi government. However, the new loan involves even more demands. There must be an end to subsidies, a VAT tax, reduction of governmental jobs, and devaluation of the Egyptian pound. All of this will have a devastating effect on many Egyptians. Most Egyptians will not be able to afford the increased costs. 95 percent of Egyptians earn less than $14 per day and more than 25 percent earn less than $1.50 per day.

The economy under Morsi made modest gains with inflation hovering around 6.9 percent. Three years into the rule of el-Sisi after Morsi was overthrown, inflation is at about 14 percent and the Egyptian pound has lost half its value. The IMF demands it lose even more. Debt servicing is already taking up 31.5 percent of the budget but with additional debt this can only climb.

Much of the loan money will simply flow into the pockets of corrupt politicians and others. The government's own auditor estimated that over four years an estimated $67 billion was lost to corruption. His reward for revealing this was to be sacked and charged with harming Egypt's image. The regime seems not to have a clear vision of how to progress economically but resorts to mega projects it thinks will have positive propaganda value.

The brutality of the regime breeds terrorism which in turn makes attracting foreign capital difficult because of the security situation. The austerity policies associated with the IMF loan will cause even more social unrest. As an article in the Economist points out the ranks of young and embittered Egyptians without jobs are swelling. Options are emigration or, for a few, jihad. This sets the stage for another social explosion.

IMF loans Egypt $12 billion over three year period

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced it had reached a deal with Egyptian authorities for a $12 billion loan over a period of three years. Egypt has been facing a dollar shortage, falling foreign reserves and a battered economy.

The agreement will need to be ratified by both IMF and Egyptian authorities. The loan comes with conditions that include subsidy cuts and new taxes. The head of the IMF delegation, Chris Jarvis said: "Egypt is a strong country with great potential but it has some problems that need to be fixed urgently." Jarvis said that the IMF is looking for the Egyptian parliament to pass a value-added tax. The IMF also wants Egypt to allow a more flexible exchange rate for the currency, the Egyptian pound. The government has been propping up the pound and also using capital controls. Jarvis said: "The central bank is progressing on exchange rate policy, the government has its program, the budget was approved in June, the VAT is in parliament...the government's fuel subsidy reform program continues to unfold." The IMF said the loan will support the government reform program which aims to alleviate the demand for black market dollar trading, reduce the budget deficit and the government debt, as well as stimulate growth and create jobs

Tarek Amer of the Egyptian Central Bank said the IMF deal would boost confidence in the country's reform program. He asked that citizens stand behind the government. Egyptian president. Abdel al-Sisi has been preparing the public for reform measures that will include further cuts to subsidies and increased taxes plus privatization of state resources. Al-Sisi said: "The problem is whether public opinion is prepared to accept the measures which could be tough or harsh. Egyptians love their country and are able to face hardship but they are too busy with their daily lives and thus must be afforded the correct information regarding the measures."

Angus Blair, head of the Signet think tank said that the IMF wants to see reforms right away. Unrest in Egypt has resulted in a decline in tourist revenues. Foreign reserves have fallen to $15.5 billion. The government claims the program will ensure that any upturn will bring benefits to the entire population of 91 million rather than just a small elite as it has in the past. However a comment on an article discussing Al-Sisi's austerity measures notes that the austerity measures hit mainly the poor and civilians rather than the army:His austerity measures apply only on the civilians and the poor. Only today he has issued a "private law" to further increase pensions of army personnel by 10%. He has increased their pensions multiple times in the last 2 years (probably a type of bribery to ensure their allegiance".

Rare students protest held in Tahrir Square Cairo, Egypt

Hundreds of Egyptian high school students staged a rare protest in Tahrir Square on June 27 but security forces moved in quickly to disperse them with tear gas, detaining several of them.

The student protest was over the cancellation of high school exams after someone leaked answers to some of the tests. The students allege that there is corruption and mismanagement in the Education Ministry. Some parents protested along with the students. The protest began at the Ministry with the students demanding that Education Minister Al-Hetali el-Sherbini resign. They later marched to Tahrir Square the site of the mass protests against Hosni Mubarak that led to his resignation in 2011.

Egypt outlawed unauthorized protests after former president Morsi was ousted in 2013. Security forces have kept a heavy presence in and around the area ever since, as President Abdel Sisi is determined to keep a lid on opposition. Mohammed Sadiq a graduating student planning to be an architect said the students were holding a peaceful march in Tahrir when the police began beating them. Some students were angered that some of them were detained. Sadiq said: "We came to protest about the exams — our final year is very important, But they attacked when we came to the square. The whole system needs to be changed, we deserve a better education than this one."

There was broken glass at the main approach to Tahrir and the central roundabout was ringed with more than a dozen troop carriers filled with security forces some of whom were heavily armed. The students returned to a subway station near the ministry where they started. The situation was calm but police remained out in force.

Twelve officials from the Education Ministry had been detained after answers to final nationwide exams for Arabic, religion and some other subjects were posted on Facebook by an anonymous user who claimed he wanted to show the corruption and inefficiency in the Ministry. Egypt's education system suffers from overcrowded classrooms, and teachers who are poorly trained. Students who can afford it rely on private tutors. Sarah Mohammed, one of the students, claimed that every year the exams are leaked so there is nothing new this year but she hoped the minister would resign and the system be reformed. Another student Amr Adel complained: "This is unfair. The student who didn't study will get higher grades than us. We were studying hard for 12 months... Why all this unfairness?"

In another sign of the continued repression of dissent in Egypt, Mozn Hassan, director of a group called Nazra for Feminist Studies, was barred from flying to Beirut for a women's rights conference. Passport control officials told her she was banned from traveling. She is involved in a case in which authorities accuse non-governmental organizations of receiving foreign funds with the aim of "sowing chaos."

Liliane Daoud, a Lebanese journalist who had a popular TV program which she canceled was arrested and deported. There have been many journalists arrested and jailed. The director of her program Amer Tamam said: "This is a campaign against respectable media and free journalism ... all we were doing was presenting a respectable show ... so we don't know what we are being punished for." The show covered controversial topics that rarely appear on the mainly pro-government media.

Egyptian president will have power to appoint members of Higher Press Council

A bill that allows Egyptian President Abdel el-Sisi the power to appoint the leaders of the Higher Press Council the group that controls state-owned media outlets. The bill represents just one more move by el-Sisi to crack down on any opposition. The Egyptian government has long been trying to stamp out any opposition to the government in the media. On May 1 only two days before World Press Freedom Day, Egyptian police raided the Press Syndicate in Cairo. Amnesty International reports on the event as follows: " 1 May up to 40 heavily armed members of the National Security agency stormed the Press Syndicate for the first time since it was established in 1941. They attacked journalists, beating security guards and detained two journalists Amro Badr and Mahmoud Al-Saqqa. They are being held in Tora prison and have been charged with forming an illegal group with the aim of overthrowing the government, inciting protests and publishing false news, and belonging to the April 6 Movement, a leading youth group that was instrumental in organizing protests in 2011."

The Committee to Protect Journalists claims that Egypt is among the world's worst jailers of journalists. Since January 1 this year, four have been sentenced for "publishing false news" with five others referred to trial and two more detained. Photojournalist, Mahmoud Zeid, has been in jail for more than two years subsequent to his arrest for covering a protest. On the 29th of May, Yahia Galash, head of Press Syndicate and senior board members Khaled Elbalshy and Gamal Abd el-Reheem were summoned for questioning by the public prosecution. After being questioned for a full 13 hours the three were charged with harbouring suspects against whom an arrest warrant was issued, and also with publishing false news, which threatened public peace.

The bill was proposed by independent Moustafa Bakri an independent and a journalist himself. The bill passed the Egyptian parliament in less than two hours. Bakri denied that the bill has any political implications claiming it is just an interim measure to last two or three months until a new media law is implemented. He claimed to be astonished that anyone would not welcome the bill. He claims that the president does not have the power to meddle in the press. Another independent MP, Khaled Youssef warned that the bill gives the president "exceptional power." He said that while el-Sisi has constantly said he wants to make Egypt a modern democratic state, the bill went against that. Youssef is a film director. Youssef said of the bills: "Rather than discussing a legislative ‎amendment in record speed, and rather than granting ‎the president an exceptional and undemocratic power, we ‎have to exert pressure on the government and the state ‎council to refer the unified law on the regulation of the ‎media and the press as soon as possible,"

 Osama Sharshar, another independent and a journalist remarked that the speed with which the bill was passed reminded him of the legislative process as it was under Hosni Mubarak. He wanted to wait until the new laws on the press were presented to the parliament. Another report notes that the new bill also gives the Higher Press Council the power to name editors and board chairs of any state-run press organizations.‎ The terms of present editors and board chairmen is running out so in effect incoming editors and chairs of state-owned media outlets will be appointed by a board appointed by el-Sisi.

Tom and Jerry cartoons blamed for violence in Egypt

Egypt's Interior Ministry is under fire for police brutality and other abuses but the head of the State Information Service (SIS) Salah Abdel Sadek blamed violence in Egypt on Tom and Jerry cartoons, violent video games and movies.

 

Egypt's security forces are considered among the most violent and brutal in the middle east. Of course it is always possible that they spend too much time watching Tom and Jerry cartoons, playing video games, and watching violent movies.

Sadek said of Tom and Jerry: 'Tom and Jerry' portrays "the violence in a funny manner and sends the message that, yes, I can hit him … and I can blow him up with explosives. It becomes set in [the viewer’s] mind that this is natural.” He noted that young people played video games in which they happily killed and spilled blood. He claimed that youth were "faced with social pressures that push them to resort to violence, which they considered normal and understandable:" While there may be a modicum of truth in the claim that the cartoons, movies, and video games contribute to youth using violence, the whole narrative seems to be to blame anything but the regime for the violence. Not surprisingly, there have been a lot of negative reactions on social media.

The cartoons story is not the only recent incident that is creating reaction against the regime. The Interior Ministry already accused of police brutality and other abuses, published confidential guidelines that aim to neutralize growing criticism as the regime cracks down on reporters. Apparently, the release was accidental and happened after the recent arrest of two journalists at the headquarters of the journalists' union in Cairo. One suggestion was to stop all coverage altogether relating to the murder of the Italian graduate student Giullo Regeni, whose badly brutalized boy was found in Cairo in February.

In a rare public protest, dozens of people were arrested, as they complained about the transfer of two Egyptian islands to Saudi Arabia. Some protesters even called for the downfall of the el-Sisi regime on April 15. However, this week it is Egyptian journalists who are challenging the regime. One reporter said that in the raid on the union headquarters, the police just barged into the building and beat up one of the guards. The reporters want Maj. Gen. Magdi Abdel-Ghaffar the Interior Minister to be dismissed. The leaked memos shows that the ministry believes it should take a hard line and show itself strong.

The memo said that ministry should not "backtrack":“Backtracking means a mistake was made.” Instead, it says, the police should seek to undermine the credibility of the journalists’ union by deploying retired police generals to the country’s influential, and mostly pro-Sisi, television programs, to “explain the ministry’s point of view.”The memo suggests more monitors are needed to watch websites 24 hours a day. Mahmoud Elmamlouk, editor of a local news website said they do not want to be held accountable. The Ministry said the leak was a result of a "technical malfunction." The two journalists arrested were accused of illegal possession of weapons and are being held for 15 days for questioning.

Egyptian journalists held a large meeting at their union headquarters in Cairo in spite of a large police presence. There were around 3,000 journalists present. They called on el-Sisi to dismiss the Interior Minister and apologize for the raid on the union headquarters and the arrest of two reporters. This is the first raid on the regime in its 75-year history. It was not raided by Mubarak. If the demands of the journalists are not met, the group will hold a meeting next week to discuss organizing a strike. The public prosecutor has said the two arrested journalists were arrested for "spreading news based on lies" in addition to the firearm charges mentioned earlier.

El-Sisi has his supporters, as dozens gathered outside the headquarters calling for Sisi to "slaughter" the journalists. With the economy in decline, Sisi may be losing much of his support as he uses strong-man tactics and repression of the press to stay in power.

Egyptian President El-Sisi briefly on sale on eBay

After a speech by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was widely mocked by Egyptians on social media, a prankster put the president "up for sale" on eBay.

Even though el-Sisi was for sale only a few hours he still managed to attract bids over $100,000 before the page was taken down. Apparently, ads are not vetted that carefully on eBay. The immediate cause of the prankster's ad was a speech on state television in which el-Sisi said: "By almighty God, if I could sell myself [to benefit the nation], I would have done it." The president also asked citizens to donate to the state treasury to help out the economic situation.

The ad on eBay read: "For sale on eBay, Field Marshal, Doctor of Philosophy with a military background, decent condition, current bid $100,301." The prankster said el-Sisi had been "used by the previous owner(Gulf royal familes) and that he would be shipped free. According to the Independent part of the description read: "Hey world, we decided to sell the infamous Egyptian Field Marshal and military coup leader Mr Abdel Fatah el-Sisi on eBay to bail out the Egyptian economy so you don't have to."

As well as outlining an economic plan, el-Sisi lashed out at critics of his government claiming that such criticism helped those trying to oust him: "Please, do not listen to anyone but me. I am dead serious..Be careful, no one should abuse my patience and good manners to bring down the state," he said, adding that he would "remove from the face of the Earth" anyone plotting to bring down the government.

Sisi also said that within 20 to 25 years Egypt would be a democracy.

As head of the military, el-Sisi led a coup against elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The coup happened after many demonstrations against Morsi, who was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Later, el-Sisi was easliy elected president. He cracked down violently on protests and his government has outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, declaring it a terrorist organization. Some rights groups compare el-Sisi's rule to that of former president Hosni Mubarak. There have been several mass trials condemning hundreds to death at one time.

El-Sisi has often made grandiose statements about his mission to save Egypt. According to this news source:Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi has described himself as a doctor sent by God to diagnose and cure Egypt of its many ailments.El-Sisi also said: “Leaders around the world, intelligence agency experts, politicians, journalists and the greatest philosophers, have begun to understand that what we're saying is pure, honorable, trustworthy, sincere and aiming only for the best interests.”Too bad el-Sisi is not an American. He could run as presidential candidate for the Republicans and give Trump a real battle.

Egypt closes only center for treatment and documentation of torture

Egyptian officials ordered the El Nadeem center closed for breaching unspecified health ministry regulations. El Nadeem is the last center remaining in Egypt that documents and treats alleged torture victims.

Aida Seif Al-Dawia, the director of the Cairo-based center claimed the closure order was politically motivated. Rights groups have been critical of Egypt's crackdown on dissent. Recently, there has been a surge of allegations of torture by officials. The El Nadeem center has been operating since 1993. It provides support and counseling for victims of torture.

The group has been given until Monday to close. The director has vowed to defy the order and said the center will continue its work unless the staff were arrested. Amnesty International said the closing of the center was "an extension of the ongoing crackdown on human rights activists in Egypt." The group noted the center was a lifeline for hundreds of torture victims and for families of people subject to enforced disappearances. Said Boumedouha, deputy director of Amnesty for the Middle East and North Africa said: “This looks to us like a barefaced attempt to shut down an organization which has been a bastion for human rights and a thorn in the side of the authorities for more than 20 years.”

Oria Guerin of the BBC said the closure comes when enforced disappearances are rising, as are allegations of torture by police and intelligence officers. Two weeks ago, the mutilated corpse of an Italian student, Guilio Regini, was found by a roadside following allegations he had been kidnapped by security services. The security services have denied the allegations. Ever since the overthrow of the elected Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Morsi in 2013, there have been numerous human rights violations by the new Egyptian President Abduul al-Sisi. Sisi was army chief when he led a coup against Morsi after large demonstrations against him. The Muslim Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization by the military-backed government. Since then, there have been several mass trials with hundreds sentenced to death and demonstrations were broken up with hundreds of protesters being killed. Western countries continue to support Egypt and provide military assistance, especially the United States. Al-Sisi is a strong supporter of Khalifa Haftar, the commander in chief of the Libyan National Army(LNA) in neighboring Libya. The UN envoy in Libya, Martin Kobler, the head of the Presidency Council of the GNA, Faiez Serraj, and Haftar himself have met with al-Sisi, showing that he is a key played in events in Libya.

Director, al-Dawia said two policemen came to the center on Wednesday with an order from the Health Ministry to close the center. She said: “The decision did not give any reasons. We managed to persuade them to postpone the closure until we went to the Health Ministry next Monday to understand the reasons, Unless they arrest us all, we will continue in our work as long as we remain out of prison. It would be stupid if they shut down the center because we provide a service that no one else provides to the underprivileged.”

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health claimed that the center engaged in "activities other than the activity allowed in its permit" but did not say what they were.The UN Human Rights Council has many times expressed concern of the methods used by Egyptian security forces and their killing of anti-government protesters.

Egypt has been closing down more and more NGO organizations and their facilities. Critics say the moves have rolled back the freedoms won after the government of Hosni Mubarak was overthrown during the Arab Spring in 2011. In spite of evidence to the contrary Egyptian authorities simply deny that they round up people and detain them in secret detention centers where they are subject to torture. The closure of the Nadeem center is just another move to prevent any evidence against the government and opposition to their methods.

Saudis talk peace but are preparing an offensive against Houthi rebels

The Saudi coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, some time ago decided that the bombing campaign alone was not sufficient to defeat the Houthis. Special forces and military equipment were sent to bolster local militia in Aden.

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The change in tactics has enabled the coalition and allies in Aden to retake the port of Aden and much of the rest of southern Yemen. However, with the recent buildup of troops have come casualties. Both the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and even Bahrain suffered casualties, with sixty killed in one day recently. One report, puts the total number of coalition troops on the ground at 10,000. Yemeni officials report much lower numbers and from only Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar. Officials claimed there were at least around 2,000. No doubt the presence of so many foreign troops in Yemen may turn even those opposed to the Houthis against their "liberators" especially given the destruction and civilian casualties caused by the bombing campaign.

Egypt has now sent between 150 and 200 troops to join battle in Yemen. Sudan has committed to sending 6,000 troops according to a source close to the Qatari military. Newly arriving Qatari troops are bringing Apache helicopters, armored vehicles, and rocket launchers. One reportputs the number of Qatari troops at 1,000. Troops appear to be massing in the central province of Marib for a march on the capital Sanaa to the north.

Ex-president Saleh has close ties with the tribal leaders in the area. Authorities are trying to determine how the Houthis managed to get coordinates to a weapons depot that they successfully hit in a rocket attack that killed many coalition troops. The tribal leaders are for the present fighting alongside forces loyal to Hadi and the coalition troops but many in the armed forces are loyal to Saleh who up until now has supported the Houthis. Saleh may perhaps be changing sides for the moment but still helping the Houthis on occasion.

Special UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ahmed, announced that the warring parties in Yemen have agreed to take part in peace talks next week. There have never been actual peace talks. The UN has passed a resolution demanding that the Houthis withdraw from all the territories they have seized. In a statement yesterday, Mansour Hadi, the president of the "internationally recognized" government of Yemen now located in Ryadh, Saudi Arabia, said he would attend the talks but that for negotiations to take place the Houthis must pull back from all the areas seized since last year. This would include Sanaa the capital. This is tantamount to a surrender and saves the coalition a bloody fight to regain territory. More than 4,500 people have been killed since the conflict began last March. Many people have been internally displaced while other fled to Djibouti and even Somalia. There is a dire humanitarian crisis with many hungry, depleted medical services and supplies, and diseases spreading. Many of the Arab States see the conflict as a battle with Iran which supports the Houthis.

The situation is more complex than this as the Houthis have support from ex-president Saleh and troops loyal to him and his son. Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula(AQAP) appears to be one of the winners in this battle as it has extended its area of control and alliances with local Sunni leaders. The coalition has not attacked AQAP as long as it has confined its activity to fighting the Houthis but when Hadi was in power the group launched devastating attacks on the government and its military. Another winner will be the southern separatist movement. Their flag can be regularly seen in areas taken from the Houthis and in military convoys. This group will insist on autonomy or even separation of southern Yemen from the north. When Hadi was in power before they often clashed with the armed forces and they reject Hadi's plan to divide Yemen into six federated regions. In this opposition they actually agree with their Houthi opponents. Even should the coalition be successful in retaking the rest of the areas occupied by the Houthi, there is no guarantee of any peace or stable government under a regime headed by Hadi.

US policy in Egypt motivated by competition with Russia for arms sales not justice

An Egyptian court has upheld the death sentence against the first elected president of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi. He was sworn in as president in June 2012.

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Just over a year after taking office in July 2013, Morsi was removed from office after mass protests and a military coup led by commander of the military, Abdel el-Sisi. El-Sisi would later be elected president. Morsi was held without charge for some time but later was charged with a number of crimes. He and five other defendants have been sentenced to death by hanging for a mass jail break. This jail break happened as part of the Arab Spring revolution against Hosni Mubarak.

The military-supported government initiated a crackdown on opponents of the regime, including Morsi supporters, members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other opponents of the regime. The repression continued when el-Sisi became president. There were mass trials that made a mockery of the Egyptian judicial system. Hundreds were sentenced to death in mass trials. The US did react to these violations of human rights by freezing some military aid.

However, in March of this year Obama unfroze the aid:The White House says the U.S. is supplying Egypt with 12 F-16s, 20 Harpoon missiles and up to 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits – delivery of which was suspended in 2013 after a military-backed coup ousted President Mohammed Morsi and cracked down on his supporters. A White House statement also said President Obama directed the continued request of an annual $1.3 billion in military assistance, in the form of foreign military financing.The el-Sisi regime has not changed its repression of opposition. If anything, it has become worse with arrests of journalists and more trials that are judicial farces and almost universally condemned. What happened was that Egypt decided if the U.S. was going to try and use military aid to force reforms then it would seek arms elsewhere.

In September of 2014 Russia and Egypt signed a preliminary deal to buy $3.5 billion in arms from Russia. Later in February of this year when Putin visited Cairo on Feb. 9 arms deals were discussed and military officials from the internationally recognized Libyan government discussed purchase of arms from Russia as well. Since there is a ban on direct sales to Libya under a UN resolution, Egypt could "mediate" any purchase. It is hardly surprising that in March suddenly the el-Sisi regime had reformed sufficiently to receive billions from the U.S. again.

The U.S. has a long history of supplying arms for Egypt even under the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. It has a generous "cash flow" arrangement that only one other ally of the U.S., Israel, is able to use:Since the early 1980s, the United States has granted Egypt an extraordinary ability to place orders with American defense contractors that are worth far more than Congress has appropriated for military aid, according to U.S. officials. Under the mechanism, called cash-flow financing, Egypt can submit large orders for equipment that takes years to produce and deliver, under the assumption that U.S. lawmakers will continue to allocate the same amount in military aid year after year.From 2008 to 2012 Egypt ordered $8.5 billion in military aid while the U.S. Congress only allocated $6.3 billion for military aid to Egypt. In effect, Egypt has a credit card for US military purchases with a spending limit of billions.

The U.S. has called the death sentence against Morsi "deeply troubling." Josh Earnest, the White House spokesperson, delivered a sentence of a few tongue-lashings against Egypt: "We are deeply troubled by the politically motivated sentences that have been handed down against former president Morsi and several others by an Egyptian court today..We are concerned that proceedings have been conducted in a way that is not only contrary to universal values but also damaging to stability that all Egyptians deserve,"He did not suggest that the U.S. would now again freeze military aid to Egypt. An appeal of the sentence can still be made. Egypt may or may not feel the need to show some mercy.

Arab states meet in Cairo to plan military intervention in Libya

An unpublicized meeting of Arab military chiefs of staff will take place in Cairo on May 18 and is designed to coordinate plans for an intervention in Libya. France and Italy may also play a part in any intervention.

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The report is from an Arab League source in Defense News but can also be found in McClatchy.

The meeting includes not only high-ranking military officials from Egypt but also from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Sudan and the Libyan Tobruk government. Notice that there is no representation from the rival Tripoli government. The Arab League reports that talks between the head of the Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Arab leaders have already resulted in arms purchases by the Libyan Army including helicopters delivered in late April from the UAE. The UAE and and Egypt were thought to be involved in earlier bombings of Tripoli and Egypt in Benghazi. There is a UN ban against the sale of arms to Libya. In addition to the helicopters the Tobruk government has bought anti-tank and armour-piercing weapons and munitions. Talks are ongoing with France and Italy to participate. France would supply logistic support and special forces and Italy will provide naval support.

The two former regional colonial powers are going to help out CIA-linked, Khalifa Haftar, in a civil war to defeat not just the Islamic State, which both governments are fighting, but also the rival Tripoli government with its militia the Libya Dawn. The negotiations for a unity government that the UN has sponsored since last September are supposed to reach an agreement by June 17, but it is not clear how that can take place when Haftar has consistently claimed that he will not talk with the Tripoli militia. He believes in a military solution and it appears he may get it. While all this is happening, the US and many European countries are still publicly touting a political solution through the formation of a unity government.

In a joint statement, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Britain and the US warned that the energy and financial institutions should in effect remain neutral in the conflict between the two governments and supported the UN peace negotiations for a unity government:They said that as hopes of a peace deal brokered by the United Nations were rising, "we express our concern at attempts to divert Libyan resources to the narrow benefit of any side in the conflict and to disrupt financial and economic institutions that belong to all Libyans."

Notice there is no mention of who is doing what. The internationally-recognized Tobruk government has formed its own oil company and intends to export oil through it rather than the Libyan National Oil Company. They have also attempted to fire the head of the National Bank and Haftar seized a branch in Benghazi. Italy and France signed this declaration at the same time as they are making plans for military intervention with the Arab League.

Egypt is also holding a forum for Libyan tribes which will be designed to get their support in helping to coordinate the operation and guarantee the safe passage of Arab troops. The forum is said to be designed to "unify the Libyan people". Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Badr Abdelatty, stressed the tribes were important to restoring stability in Libya by supporting Libya's "legitimate institutions' such as the House of Representatives and the legitimate government. This is meant to gain support for the Tobruk government not to unify the people through political negotiation to form a unity government agreeable to both conflicting parties. It is a recipe for outright civil war.

Naturally, there is a line-up of analysts to promote the Arab intervention including, Theodore Karasik, a Gulf-base analyst who says:"The threat from the Islamic State not only in Libya but also in Western Egypt is getting to be too great, so action is required. It is important to point out that after the Cairo meeting is a forum hosted by Justice First in the Egyptian capital that will bring together many of Libya's tribes to achieve a new unity that will act as a force multiplier for the Egyptian-led campaign."Notice that there is no mention of the Tripoli government. This is all just an operation against the Islamic State. Mimicking Sisi in Egypt and his former boss Gadaffi, Haftar classifies all rebels and opponents as terrorists. Any intervention would be against Tripoli as well as the Islamic State. Progress is being made it would seem not in peace talks and towards a political solution but towards a military intervention and a civil war designed to topple the rival government in Tripoli. Haftar continues to do whatever he pleases whether it contradicts UN wishes or even international law as shown by his latest act of attacking a Turkish cargo ship killing a crew member.

Egypt and Russia strengthen ties

President el-Sisi came to power in Egypt after leading a coup that overthrew former president Morsi. He later was elected president. 

Throughout this period, Putin gave strong support for Sisi. Since then, relations between the two countries have strengthened.

In 2014 Russia and Egypt signed a $3.5 billion arms deal. Recently, the two countries signed a further military cooperation agreement that will see Egyptian officers and troops trained in Russian military academies. Putin also had a successful visit to Cairo back in February this year.

These moves by Egypt will provide the Egyptian government more leverage in dealing with the US which provides not only substantial military aid to Egypt but also trains many of its armed forces. In response to Egypt's horrible human rights record and suppression of opposition, the US had suspended some military aid. Egypt's response was to show the US that it could also find military aid elsewhere.

The US counter-move was announced by Obama just yesterday. He is renewing all suspended aid to Egypt. Egypt will now receive $1.3 billion in aid that was suspended after the overthrow of elected president Morsi and the subsequent crackdown on opposition. 

The situation in Egypt has not changed in terms of the crackdown but no doubt the Russian aid showed the US that it was not a good idea to try to use arms aid as leverage to improve the political situation within Egypt.

The announced reason for the change in policy is the typical one that can justify anything these days, the danger of the Islamic State. The problem is that Sisi supports General Haftar in Libya. Haftar is armed forces commander of the internationally-recognized Tobruk government. 

Haftar is battling not just the Islamic State but the competing government based in Tripoli which is also being attacked by the Islamic State. In other words, SIsi  can use his weapons to turn the tide in Haftar's battle to retake territory from the Tripoli government.

The US and other western countries have supported the UN peace process. Haftar has sabotaged the process whenever he could. With renewed arms supplied by Egypt ostensibly to help fight the Islamic State, Haftar can carry out his mission to defeat the forces of the competing government in Tripoli.

With the release of the suspended military aid to Egypt, Sisi will receive 12 F-16 fighter jets, replacements kits for 125 Abrams tanks, 20 Harpoon missiles, and the $1.3 billion that had been suspended.

Egypt's improving relationships with Russia have also caused some tension with Saudi Arabia although on many issues such as military action against Yemen the two agree completely. At the Arab League meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el_Sheik, the two states however disagreed on the issue of Syria. Sisi urged a political solution to the conflict. Saudi Arabia insists that Assad must go, but el-Sisi stressed the need to battle terrorism and prevent the collapse of Syrian state institutions.

He is planning to host a conference of the Syrian opposition to form a unified political position on talks. This is the type of action that Russia would prefer as well. While Egypt does not outright give support for Assad, an Egyptian official told AP that the Assad  regime "must be part of the negotiations and the transitional period." The opposition members who would agree to this are no doubt few in number and any political agreement might have very little effect on the battles taking place in Syria. The tightly controlled press in Egypt and Saudi Arabia lambasted each other for their respective positions on Syria. 

Egypt is obviously trying to develop its own more independent foreign policy that is distressing not just to the US but US ally Saudi Arabia as well.

Sources:
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_306481/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=DjjE3NsH
http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-and-egypt-military-agreement-2015-3
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/moscow-cairo-relations-sisi-putin-egypt-visit.html
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/31/obama-restores-us-military-aid-to-egypt
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/how-to-judge-putins-trip-to-egypt

Egyptian counter-terror violence in Sinai generates more terrorist violence

Egyptian President Abdul el-Sissi has used ever more violent means to try and counter the violence in the Sinai Peninsula. In spite of concerted efforts to stop the insurgents there was a devastating series of attacks on January 29.

One source put the casualties from the attack at 31 people and another source at least 26. The Egyptian army had begun to feel confident that a strong military response to earlier attacks had decisively weakened the insurgency. Last October, the group then called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis launched an attack on a military checkpoint that killed 31 and wounded many more. The Egyptian government blamed "foreigners" for the attack. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, originally inspired by Al Qaeda, has recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and rebranded itself as the Sinai Province of the Islamic State. Egyptian president Abdel el-Sissi also blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for the recent attack, claiming it had a role in the operation. Since overthrowing the former president Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Brotherhood, el-Sissi has constantly blamed the group for terrorist activity. The Brotherhood is now designated a terrorist organization in Egypt. 

El-Sissi has used Sinai terrorist activity as an excuse to crack down on dissent elsewhere in Egypt. The Egyptian government responded to the October attacks by violence against Sinai inhabitants, all in the name of fighting terror. In order to create a buffer zone between Egypt and the Gaza Strip border, the Egyptian government simply ejected thousands of residents from their homes and blew them up. One resident of the Sinai, Abu Musallam, vented his anger: "We are staying here. They bomb the house; we build a hut. They burn the hut; we build another hut. They kill; we give birth. I urge the army to treat us like we treated them in 1967. We gave them our clothes to hide them from the Israelis. We serviced them. We respected them, and we helped them flee. Is this how they pay us back?" 

 Aaron Reese, of the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, said that the Egyptian Army was not about to engage in urban warfare with insurgents. They prefer to use tanks and helicopter gunships against targets even though individual militants blend in with the local population. Egyptian security and social policies in the Sinai see the area as a threat rather than as an opportunity to develop the area and gain the support of the local population. Residents are seen as potential informants, terrorists, spies, or smugglers. Egyptian policies have turned many exactly in those directions making it possible for militants to survive in spite of the constant attacks of the Egyptian military: Those policies were formulated and executed by security and military bureaucracies - principally the State Security Investigations (SSI, now renamed the National Security Apparatus), the General Intelligence Apparatus (GIA) and the Military Intelligence Apparatus (MIS) - without any review or oversight from elected or judicial bodies or independent experts. 

In 2012 even el-Sissi, then defense minister, warned his officers against these policies since they would "create an internal enemy with a vendetta against us". Perhaps now he is president he finds the violence useful as a justification for his repressive policies against any and all opponents. Continued insurgent violence shows a strong government supported by a strong military is necessary in Egypt. As long as Egypt fights the war on terror, helps control Hamas, and keeps the peace with Israel, the west will continue to send billions in military aid.