The militant group ‘State of Sinai’, formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, claimed on Sunday the August killing of US oil expert William Henderson in the Western Desert region.
Henderson, 58, worked for Apache Corporation as a petroleum expert in Egypt’s Western Desert. An obituary published by his family in the Enid News and Eagle said he “passed suddenly” on 6 August this year.
The group, which pledged allegiance to militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) in November, announced the claim on its social media account. The group posted an image showing what it claims to be Henderson’s passport and identification cards.
Public Affairs Director for Apache Castlen Kennedy told Daily News Egypt via email: “The tragic carjacking incident this past August involving our colleague Bill Henderson is still under investigation by the US government.” She added: “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Henderson family.”
Henderson, from Fayetteville, Arkansas, “had a love for fishing, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, show pigs, and most of all his family and beloved grandchildren”, read the obituary by his family. Before his death he was awarded the Apache Improvement Method through Understanding Performance award, recognising his efforts to develop and implement ideas to increase production and reduce operating costs.
State of Sinai, which stopped using the name Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis in November after pledging allegiance to ISIS, also released a list detailing nine attacks it carried out on Egyptian security forces in the last month.
The group normally operates in the Sinai Peninsula but has been known to claim responsibility for attacks carried out in other parts of Egypt as well, including an assassination attempt on Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim in September 2013.
The militants have stressed in the past that they seek to target Egyptian security forces personnel and infrastructure. Deviating from this message last February the group targeted a tourist bus near to the Egypt-Israel border, claiming it was part of its “economic war” against the government.
Students protest at Alexandria University against Saturday’s controversial decision by the Cairo Criminal Court to dismiss murder charges against former president Hosni Mubarak. (Photo from Student Against coup)
Students at universities around the country protested against Saturday’s controversial decision by the Cairo Criminal Court to dismiss murder charges against former president Hosni Mubarak.
The Revolutionary Front, a coalition of political movements, called on Saturday for protests at 11 different universities around the country to take place on Sunday. The call came following the dispersal of a demonstration on Saturday evening in Abdel Moneim RiyadhSquare adjacent to Tahrir Square, which the security forces closed off following the announcement of the court’s decision. The dispersal and resulting clashes caused the death of at least two people.
Protests occurred in Ain Shams, Al-Azhar, Cairo, Alexandria and Zagazig universities according to a Students Against the Coup (SAC) statement, which stressed that several other groups were involved in the protests.
In Cairo University, students blocked one of the gates of the university to prevent the police from entering campus, according to SAC Spokesman Ahmed Nasif. He added that clashes occurred between students and campus security in Zagazig University.
Nasif stated that SAC is cooperating with the 6 April Youth Movement on campuses and welcomes any other movements under the slogan: “Down with the military regime, retribution, and achieving the goals of the revolution.”
In Ain Shams protesters were reported to have sung: “The revolution is dying so we have to mobilise, otherwise the regime will annihilate the revolution”. In Al-Azhar they chanted “one hand” as a sign of unity, and in Cairo University the 6 April Youth Movement reported protesters chanting for the fall of Mubarak and current President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
Mubarak, his sons, his former interior minister and six ministerial aides were found not guilty on charges of corruption on Saturday. The judge said he was unable to rule on the charges relating to the murder of protesters during the 25 January Revolution, which resulted in Mubarak’s resignation.
Israeli officials accused Palestinian leaders of inciting a religious conflict between Jews and Muslims following a brutal attack on worshipers in a Jerusalem synagogue early on Tuesday morning.
The attack resulted in four deaths and eight injuries.
Two attackers entered a synagogue in the Har Nof neighbourhood of Jerusalem carrying “knives and axes”, said Israeli Police Spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld.
The Israeli foreign ministry reported the two men were also in possession of guns, which they fired during the attack. The attackers were shot dead by police in a shootout.
Three are “seriously wounded and one critically”, who is thought to be a policeman.
The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, claimed the two attackers were Ghassan and Uday Abu Gamal, who are members of the group. The group said that the two men “killed four settlers, including a Zionist security man and a Rabbi”, adding that the attack is a “natural response to the crimes of the occupation and a form of popular resistance”.
Riots broke out in the Jabel Mukaber neighbourhood of East Jerusalem where the two attackers originated from.
Mosa Abu Marzook , deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, praised the attackers saying the Palestinian people are “on the threshold of a new intifada (uprising)”. The group also claimed the attack was in response for the alleged killing of a Palestinian bus driver who was found hanged in Jerusalem late on Sunday. Israeli police said it was an instance of suicide.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack in a statement released by the presidency on Tuesday via state news. In the same statement he called for an “end to the intrusions of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the settlers’ provocations and incitement of some Israeli ministers”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas and Abbas for the attack, saying it was “the direct result of the incitement being led by Hamas and Abu Mazen [Abbas], incitement which the international community is irresponsibly ignoring”.
He vowed to respond with a “heavy hand to the brutal murder of Jews who came to pray and were met by reprehensible murderers”. Netanyahu was set to hold a “security consultation” in Jerusalem on Tuesday afternoon.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said on Tuesday: “Abbas has deliberately turned the conflict into a religious conflict between Jews and Muslims.” He added that the Palestinian leader’s “incitement… including his statement that impure Jews may not enter the Temple Mount, provides the guidance for such heinous attacks”.
Tensions between Palestinians and Israelis have increased recently with a particular focus over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which has been the scene of violent clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians prompting international concern. The site is of religious importance to the Jewish people as well, known as the Temple Mount.
Israel insists it seeks to maintain the “status quo” at the religious site which “enables Muslims to pray on the mount and access to visitors of all other religions”, according to an Israeli government video on the issue.
United States Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the attack alongside his United Kingdom Counterpart Phillip Hammond during a visit to London on Tuesday. Kerry spoke with Netanyahu by telephone to offer his condolences. Hammond “condemned in the strongest possible terms the appalling attack”. He called on all sides to “do everything possible to de-escalate tensions, which are extremely dangerous for the Israeli and Palestinian communities”.
The European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council said on Monday it is “gravely concerned at the growing tension”. The council condemned the Israeli announcement of new settlements in the West Bank as well as demolitions, “including of EU and Member States funded projects”.
The council called on “all parties to refrain from any action that would worsen the situation by way of incitement”.
The international community had hopes to use an open-ended ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian factions in Gaza as a potential springboard for further talks towards a lasting agreement based upon the two-state solution. Egypt, who brokered the ceasefire, postponed the talks at the end of October following a deadly attack in the Sinai Peninsula.
Militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (ABM) claimed responsibility for a deadly truck bomb attack on Egypt’s armed forces on 24 October, which killed at least 27 soldiers.
The group made the claim in a video posted online late on Friday, in which it also presents itself as ‘State of Sinai’ in response to a call made by Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, to whom the group officially pledged allegiance on Monday.
The 30-minute video shows a man, with his face blurred by video editing, said to be Abu Hamza Al-Ansari. The group alleges he is the person who carried out the suicide truck bombing in Karam Al-Qawadees.
The group then shows a red truck driving into a military checkpoint followed by a large explosion. The attack is shown from two different angles.
In the aftermath of the explosion, groups of masked men sweep the area firing at injured soldiers. The group also stated they “pursued the fleeing soldiers and eliminated them”, showing images of dead servicemen in the desert.
ABM said they carried out the attack as there is “no way Jerusalem will be free without the cleansing of Egypt from the agents of the Jews”.
The video, entitled ‘Onslaught of Ansar’, also shows various attacks on security forces and the explosion of a gas pipeline.
“It’s one thing to announce allegiance to the ‘Islamic State’ [IS], and another to announce a large scale attack in the name of the IS”, said Zack Gold, a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies who closely follows the security situation and militant groups in Sinai.
ISIS rebranded itself as ‘Islamic State’ over the summer after claiming large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq. Al-Baghdadi was appointed ‘Caliph’ and is known as ‘Caliph Ibrahim’ by the group.
Gold noted a “jump in production value and graphics” compared to that of ABM’s previous video statements, saying the video could have been produced with assistance from ISIS. Gold also pointed out that the group “used the claiming of this attack as a public statement of being a province of the IS”.
“The change in name and nature of the video does show that ABM, or now ‘State of Sinai’, will be subservient to the orders of the IS,” said Gold. “It is still too early to know what the pledge means for ABM, but the video suggests the local agenda is being overcome by an international agenda being directed from outside”, added Gold.
The analyst pointed out that while ABM may be “trying to bridge the gap between the local agenda and agenda of the ‘Caliphate’” it is still not clear if they will mirror the sectarian nature of ISIS, adding that it “seems they are moving in the direction of the IS,” and that he is “more concerned today [Saturday] than before [Friday’s] video”.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said that “foreign elements” had supported the attack on 24 October in its immediate aftermath. A separate incident occurred around the same time at an Al-Arish checkpoint where a shootout resulted in the deaths of at least three other soldiers. No mention of this incident was made in Friday’s video.
Gold says that the claim by ABM “does not disprove” Al-Sisi’s claim. He highlighted that in the “aftermath of large scale attack is that someone should be held accountable”, adding: “Instead of considering that blame should be placed on the actions or lack of training of the military, the government and the military find it “more convenient to blame outside actors and Gaza specifically”.
Security in North Sinai has heightened since the 24 October attack, including the enforcement of a state of emergency and curfew in areas of North Sinai. There has also been the relocation of residents within 500 metres of Egypt’s border with Gaza, with the stated aim of establishing a ‘secure zone’. The armed forces stated that the creation of the zone is aimed at eliminating the use of smuggling tunnels that cross the border.
In response to whether or not ISIS is in Egypt, Gold stated: “You can say that in the sense that a group that has always been in Egypt is now affiliated with IS.” He added: “the question to watch now is whether ‘State of Sinai’ will move in that direction”.
The Sinai-based militant group has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against security personnel and infrastructure over the past two years. The group’s activities intensified following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, accusing Egypt’s security forces of “slaughtering Muslims”. They attribute blame for this to Al-Sisi and Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, whom the group attempted to assassinate in September 2013.
Up to a million people could be left “without proper help” this winter, according to the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday.
The shortfall in aid to the refugees comes as a result of a lack of funding, the UNHCR said. The conflicts in Syria and Iraq this year caused a sudden spike in the number of people fleeing violence.
Melissa Fleming, the UNHCR’s spokesperson said: “While the problem is most acute in Iraq and Syria, there are also needs in other parts of the region.”
Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, Fleming said that the lack of funding has had a negative impact on the “winter preparedness programmes”.
The shortfall of $58.45m “means that UNHCR is having to make some very tough choices over who to prioritise”, she said.
The factors affecting these choices “include the elevation of refugee settlements, the composition of the family unit… family health concerns, new arrivals, available family resources, shelter conditions and other considerations”.
Fleming warned that conditions for those who are not prioritised “could nonetheless be very tough”.
In Egypt, one of the contributors to the regional response for the regional refugee crisis, UNHCR began “receiving calls from refugees seeking help to purchase warmer clothes and blankets for their children”.
UNHCR estimates that there are some 56,000 refugees in Egypt needing assistance to help them through the winter. However, due to lack of funding, “UNHCR will only be able to reach 38,000 of the most vulnerable refugees – or 60% of those in need of winterisation assistance”, according to the UN agency’s overview of the winter aid programme.
As part of the programme, refugees in Egypt “will receive $28 as a one-off contribution… with a maximum ceiling of $168 for families with six or more members”.
Like Syria and Iraq, other countries in the region, including Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan are also suffering from a lack of funding to deal with the volume of refugees. The lack of funding could affect some 990,000 people, “mainly newly internally displaced people in Iraq and Syria”, said Fleming.
Sinai based militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (ABM) have pledged allegiance to the extremist ‘Islamic State’ group.
An audio recording was released in the early hours of Monday morning via the group’s Twitter account, entitled ‘pledge of allegiance to the Caliph of Muslims Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and joining the Islamic State’.
The group called for “all Muslims” to also pledge allegiance to Al-Baghdadi, who was named Caliph Ibrahim following the group’s decision to establish an Islamic Caliphate.
Speaking directly to Egyptians in the recording, ABM stated that it is “no use to continue with shameful peace or blasphemous democracy” and called on Egyptians to fight against the armed forces. They also labelled President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi a “despicable tyrant” and accused him of killing the “sons” of Egyptians.
An armed forces spokesman recently told Daily News Egypt that ABM is a “terrorist organisation” and that there is “no room for dialogue” with them.
Zack Gold, a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, closely follows the security situation and militant groups in Sinai, confirmed the validity of the audio recording.
Last week ABM denied reports that it had pledged allegiance to ISIS following the circulation of a statement on social media networks. Gold said the “leak” could have come from a faction of larger group, which is an “amalgamation of Sinai groups with different interests”, which he believes indicates a “lack of central control”.
Known by a number of different acronyms the self-styled ‘Islamic State’ previously identified as ‘Islamic State in Iraq and Al-Sham’ (ISIS). The extremist Sunni militants have claimed large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria taking advantage of the security situation in Syria and launching a surprise offensive in Iraq in June.
Gold said it is a “little early to tell the exact implications” of the pledge for Egypt. He added that it is “unclear if ABM will change its modus operandi” to match that of ISIS, which is sectarian in nature. The group has targeted religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, slaughtering Shia’a Muslims, Christians and Kurdish ethno-religious Yazidis.
“It is also possible that [ABM] have put their name to the group but will continue to operate in the same way”, said Gold. He said that ABM’s statements say they have always claimed to “act because the military is moving people from their homes or attacking innocent women or attacking Muslims or destroying homes” whether or not these actions are “real or perceived”.
Gold believes if ABM were to start matching ISIS’s style through “imposing Sharia Law or conducting mass killings those who oppose them they could lose support in the peninsula”. He added: “The locals who do support ABM don’t support them for jihadism but because it claims to be defending the local population.”
ISIS has attracted many foreign fighters from Europe and the, although Gold thinks this phenomenon is unlikely to repeat itself in the Sinai Peninsula.
“I have always thought the situation is different, Sinai is a draw for Egyptians”, adding that the ideological justification for foreign fighters to go to Syria and Iraq is not present in the Sinai Peninsula.
Egypt’s armed forces increased their security presence in the peninsula after two deadly attacks in North Sinai on 24 October resulted in the deaths of at least 30 soldiers. ABM did not claim these attacks.
ABM has been Egypt’s most active militant group over the last year, specifically targeting the state security apparatus. The group is based mostly in the volatile Sinai Peninsula, but has also carried out attacks in the greater Cairo area, including an assassination attempt on Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim.
Egypt is also a member of the US-led coalition, formed in September, to combat the rise of ISIS. Egypt stated at the time that its contribution to the coalition was to “fight its own battle against this common enemy” within Egypt. Gold highlighted that this has been Egypt’s position “from day one of the anti-ISIS coalition” pointing out Egypt was clear that Islamic extremism is a regional issue not just in Syria and Iraq. Gold added: “This declaration very much aids the Egyptian effort to link jihadism across the region.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry said in October that Egypt’s religious institutions can play a vital role in the ideological battle against ISIS. US President Barack Obama said at a coalition meeting in mid-October that the fight against ISIS is a military battle and a fight against “an ideological strain of extremism that has taken root in too many parts of the region”.
Gold believes that this development will see Egypt push the US for additional equipment to fight militancy in Sinai, something the US has supported for a long time. He said that he expects Egypt to renew its request for armed drones and other equipment, which have previously been withheld.
Gold also said that this could see closer cooperation between Egypt and Israel on security in Sinai saying that Israel has been “wanting to be a larger but behind the scenes player in the anti-ISIS coalition”. He added: “It will be interesting to see how these countries will partner to face this new dynamic”.
An Egyptian delegation faced questions regarding its human rights during its Universal Periodic Review held at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. The review occurs every four years (UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré)
Egypt’s constitution, voted into effect in January by a landslide vote, received praise in Geneva during the 20th session of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UN UPR), however much concern was raised over the application of the provisions enshrined in the constitution.
Egypt’s delegation to the UN headquarters was headed by Minister of Transitional Justice Ibrahim El-Heneidi and included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Interior, the general prosecutor’s office, and the National Council for Women.
El-Heneidi delivered the opening remarks to the UN Human Rights Council saying that he had arrived “from a new Egypt that is full of hope and determination”. He stated that, since Egypt’s first review in 2010, the “country has witnessed major unconventional political and social circumstances”.
Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in 2011 after decades of authoritarian rule. His successor, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi, was ousted in July 2013. In this time Egypt has witnessed an upturn in demonstrations, violence and accusations of human rights abuses levelled at the Egyptian security forces by domestic and international rights groups.
El-Heneidi insisted that, since the overthrow of Morsi, “human rights and freedoms of citizens” has been “top of the priorities of the national government”. He pointed to the creation of his own ministry portfolio as a testament to that. He also discussed the steps taken by Egypt to address 119 of the 165 recommendations made four years ago.
The Egyptian delegation then listened to one minute speeches from 125 delegates regarding the human rights situation, some posing questions and recommendations for Egypt to address.
The delegations of Saudi Arabia and Russia, both closely allied with Egypt following Morsi’s ouster, recommended that Egypt “continue to fight terrorism”, with Saudi stressing its “unlimited support” for Egypt.
Many delegations, including Singapore, South Africa, and Israel, urged Egypt to ensure the rights of children and women in society and to develop the role of women in political life.
The delegations of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Norway among others, called for the withdrawal or amendment of the controversial Protest Law and the NGO law. The delegations said these laws do not fall in line with the provisions for freedom of assembly and association enshrined in Egypt’s constitution.
Concerns for these two particular laws were highlighted by Germany’s ambassador to Egypt Hansjörg Haber during a meeting with journalists on Wednesday morning, which aimed to expand on Germany’s one minute speech at the UN UPR. Haber stated that Germany’s focus on the status of civil society organisations and the Protest Law came through coordination with other European Union states, with other nations addressing other issues of concern.
Haber stressed that Egypt’s constitution contains what would be expected when it comes to provisions to protect human rights, and that Germany has no issue with the constitution. However, he pointed out that the source of Germany’s concerns relate to the “implementation of the constitution” within the law. He pointed out that a strong civil society is a “stabilising element…especially in a post-conflict nation” and highlighted the need for the opening of “public space” as opposed to driving opinions underground, which he believed could lead to “radicalisation”.
The German ambassador said that his country is specifically concerned over the implementation of the NGO law of 2002, which requires the registration of civil society organisations by 10 November and Haber said it is not clear what will happen after this deadline expires. He said that rules regarding “foreign funding” of organisations are concerning and that Germany is particularly affected as one of its own groups is under threat, namely the Konrad Adenhauer Foundation, whose office has been closed down and whose staff face the threat of arrest.
In response to queries and concerns regarding the NGO law at the UN UPR, the Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity Hani Muhanna stressed that the right to association and assembly are protected in the constitution. He stated that a new law is being prepared but waiting “to build consensus” before sending it to parliament for consideration. The dates for Egypt’s parliamentary elections are yet to be officially announced. He highlighted that the ministry has “been listening to 800 NGOs, and listening carefully”.
Seven rights organisations announced the evening before the UN UPR that they would not participate in the UN UPR proceedings “in fear that their participation might result in reprisal or possible persecution”. The list included the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Arab Network for Human Rights, the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.
The deputy minister added: “We are carrying out a census of the NGOs acting in Egypt and will work with them individually to ensure the legality of their work”.
The German ambassador also called for the amendment of the Protest Law, which was issued by interim President Adly Mansour, expressing concern for the reported figure of at least 40,000 arrests under the law and the recent handing down of prison sentences to rights defender Yara Sallam and 22 others.
Regarding the Protest Law, Mohamed Khalaf, member of the prosecutor general’s office, stressed: “The people who were detained were arrested in keeping with the law and according to judicial decisions.” He added that the government is reviewing the law and is considering amendments in line with recommendations from the Supreme Constitutional Court. Khalaf stated that no people were held in “temporary custody without a legitimate warrant”.
Al Jazeera journalist Abdullah Elshamy was released from prison in June after spending 306 days in detention without charge.
Delegates also recommended Egypt to take measures to prevent torture and ill treatment in detention and to withdraw reservations expressed regarding the international convention against torture. The assistant minister of interior present at the UN UPR stressed: “Egyptian law criminalises torture”, adding that the ministry has adopted “a new list of standards to be enforced” in prisons.
Delegations from the US, Iceland and Austria made specific reference to the anticipated government report on the violent dispersal of the pro-Morsi sit-ins on 14 August 2014. Hundreds were killed across the country, with the worst violence seen at the Rabaa Al-Adaweya sit-in. The delegates called for an investigation into claims of excessive force by security forces and for the findings to be made public.
Calls for Egypt to adopt a moratorium on the death penalty, made in reference to the mass death sentences handed down by the Minya Criminal Court earlier this year, were responded to by Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Human Rights Mahy Abdel Latif. She stressed that there is “no international consensus on the death penalty” adding it is restricted to the most serious crimes. She pointed out that “around 50 countries” still have death as a punishment within their criminal justice systems.
In his closing remarks El-Heneidi responded to some suggestions that Egypt’s judiciary is “politicised”. He stated that he is a former judge himself, adding: “I confirm that we have an independent judiciary.”
In the lead up to the UN UPR, the Muslim Brotherhood and its political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party said it would provide information to “expose the atrocious reality of the military dictatorship ruling Egypt”. The submission had not been released at the time of writing, despite two separate requests by Daily News Egypt.
The group, which is now banned in Egypt, sent a delegation to Geneva and held a press conference after the conclusion of the UN UPR hearing. The group’s lawyers and representative Amr Darrag called for the Egyptian government to be held accountable in the International Criminal Court and to implement the “European arrest warrants scheme” when President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi travels to European capitals.
The foreign ministry said that the governments report would “illustrate acts of violence and terrorism carried out by elements of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt”.
Human Rights Watch called on the UNHRC to hold the Egyptian government accountable for what it sees as “the most dramatic reversal of human rights in Egypt’s modern history” under Al-Sisi.
The Egyptian government and the Muslim Brotherhood will present assessments of Egypt’s human rights record over the last four years at the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UN UPR) in Geneva on Wednesday.
Egypt’s foreign ministry confirmed Sunday that the government’s submission to the UN UPR, containing “unprecedented material confirming Egypt’s full commitment to international conventions”, has been delivered. The report also contains “images that illustrate acts of violence and terrorism carried out by elements of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt”.
Referring to the 2010 review, the foreign ministry said that while many of the recommendations made then have been addressed, “the reality in the field of human rights transcend these recommendations”. Egypt is now dealing with issues of “rights and freedoms” that are “above the recommendations made four years ago”.
The Muslim Brotherhood and its political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), both dissolved and banned by the Egyptian authorities, have also submitted a report to the UNHRC. Former president Mohamed Morsi, who hails from the Islamist organisation, was ousted in July 2013, which was followed by a security crackdown on his supporters.
The Brotherhood’s legal team, Irvine Thanvi Natas solicitors, said: “The UN UPR has a historic opportunity to hold the Egyptian military regime to account for the crimes committed since the coup”.
The group said the Egyptian government’s submission to the UN UPR “is silent on this repressive and violent conduct”.
The counter report is said to “expose the atrocious reality of the military dictatorship ruling Egypt”, which includes “a detailed review of the human rights record of Egypt under president Morsi and appraises the record of the military regime”.
Dr H.A. Hellyer, associate fellow in International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute in London and the Centre for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, believes the two parties are heading to Geneva to score “political points”. He added that this “will mean they leave out any human rights issues that show them in a bad light, which are many”.
Hellyer pointed out that human rights organisations will also be represented at the review in Geneva, who he says “have been consistent since 2010 until now”. He added: “Those are the ones that will establish the litmus test for accuracy”.
Last week 19 independent rights organisations announced that their report had been submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March. The coalition of groups noted “a dramatic deterioration in the status of human rights in Egypt over the past four years”. This period covers the presidencies of Hosni Mubarak, Mohamed Morsi and Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, as well as the interim periods under the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and interim President Adly Mansour.
The 19 groups stressed that “successive governments, despite their political differences, have failed to curb violations or work towards the protection of rights through security sector, economic, social, or judicial reform”.
The groups also point out in their report that since 2010 the different governments of Egypt have impeded upon various rights including freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedom of expression”.
The review is headed by Saudi Arabia, Montenegro, and the Ivory Coast. Questions have been submitted in advance by Belgium, Lichtenstein, and the Netherlands to be answered by Egypt’s representative to the UN in Geneva during the review. The questions relate to freedom of association, government surveillance, the issuance of death sentences, and the use of “unnecessary lethal force against protesters”.
Residents living within 500 metres of the Egypt-Gaza border have been told to leave their homes as the armed forces begin to establish what it describes as a “secure zone” in order to eliminate the use of smuggling tunnels that cross the Egypt-Gaza border. (AFP File, Said Khatib)
Residents living within 500 metres of the Egypt-Gaza border have been told to leave their homes as the armed forces begin to establish what it describes as a “secure zone” in order to eliminate the use of smuggling tunnels that cross the Egypt-Gaza border.
“Military committees came and began measuring the house”, said one Rafah resident speaking by telephone to Daily News Egypt on Wednesday. She lives with her mother and brother within the 500 metre zone and requested anonymity over fears for her family’s safety.
The armed forces said in a Monday statement it is looking to “develop an integrated strategy to ensure the complete elimination” of the use of smuggling tunnels, which it says is “one of the most prominent threats to Egyptian national security”. The security forces are to establish a “secure zone” as was agreed during the National Defence Council meeting in the aftermath of last Friday’s deadly attacks that killed at least 30 people. No details were provided on the plans for the “secure zone”.
The resident recalled one incident when members of the armed forces came to her home looking for militants they thought may have been taking shelter in the house.
The family, living in the border town of Rafah, want to move from their home following an increase in the number of explosions they hear coming from the area around the border.
The army moved at least 300 people on Tuesday said the resident, who is among at least 200 others who were set to be moved on Wednesday.
The armed forces sent the family and the other residents along the border area documents containing choices. The residents must leave their homes but can choose compensation, in the form of money, land or to be re-housed in a different area. The family chose to be re-housed but they do not know where they will be moved to.
The North Sinai governor told Egyptian State News Agency MENA that the relocation of residents began on Tuesday and that they were “willing to evacuate the area”.
The forced evictions may be unconstitutional. Article 63 of the constitutions states: “All forms of arbitrary forced migration of citizens are forbidden. Violations of such are crimes without a statute of limitations”.
In a Monday statement the armed forces confirmed it had destroyed four more tunnels “bringing the total to… 1,845”. It added that the tunnels “cast a shadow on the stability of the situation in the Sinai as [they are] one of the main sources of entry for extremist groups”. These “armed elements provide logistical support” and weapons in order to carry out “treacherous terrorist attacks against elements of the armed forces and police”, read the statement.
Hani Al-Basoos, a professor of political science at Islamic University in Gaza City said that 95% of the tunnels have already been destroyed by the Egyptian armed forces. He explained that Gaza residents have relied on these tunnels to gain access to goods such as fuel and food products that have been limited by the air, land, and sea blockade that has been enforced by Israel and Egypt since 2007.
Al-Basoos said that relocation of residents from the Rafah border is an indication that the Egyptian authorities believe last Friday’s deadly attack in North Sinai was “directed from Gaza”.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said that the attack was supported by “foreign elements” in the immediate aftermath of the attack, but gave no further details.
Hamas has denied involvement in the attack but condemned the implementation of the “secure zone” earlier this week saying it aims to enforce the blockade imposed on Gaza for years.
The Gazan professor said the move could be a result of coordination between Egypt and Israel “to suffocate the Gaza Strip even more”.
Zack Gold, an Adjunct Fellow focusing on Middle East Policy at the American Security Project, said it is still too early to say what the exact motive behind the implementation of the 500 metre “secure zone”. Gold said: “On its own the destruction of the tunnels could be seen as a tightening of the blockade. However, if there is a step to provide a legal opening then it is not a move to tighten the blockade.”
He pointed out that Hamas has supported the closure of the tunnels on the condition that the blockade is lifted. Gold added: “At this initial stage it is hard to say this is a purposeful crackdown on Hamas”.
Following the latest Gaza war, which raged for 50 days over the summer, Hamas and the Palestinian factions pushed for the lifting of the blockade, which garnered some support internationally in order to improve the humanitarian situation in the densely populated strip.
Gold said that Egypt’s view of the tunnels shifted following another deadly attack in North Sinai in August 2012. “In the past two years the Egyptian state has recognised the tunnels as a national security threat, where as previously it has been seen as a lifeline for the Palestinian people”, said Gold. He added that the Egyptian armed forces had been “wary of public reaction” if they led a crackdown on the tunnels.
Arms smuggling was common in these tunnels even before the Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza in 2005, said Gold, adding that the trade increased following the withdrawal and boomed in 2007 as it was the only way to get goods and products into Gaza.
At their height the number of tunnels reached 1,000, but following the ease of the blockade in 2010 demand fell and by the end of 2012 there were around 150-250 still in operation, according to Gold. He said the Egyptian armed forces’ number of 1,845 could include multiple closures of the same tunnels, which are often re-opened.
Currently the Palestinian factions in Gaza and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire with the understanding that talks would continue. Egypt decided in the wake of last Friday’s attack to postpone the talks, which Gold thinks is an “unfortunate” decision. He pointed to “unsettled issues since the summer” saying if they are not worked out “tensions will continue to rise, which is something we saw with the 2012 ceasefire”. He highlighted concessions promised to Hamas that were never delivered upon, “which in many ways led to the next war”.
