The weekly newsletter from 17th to 23th of june 2021
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Egypt
The Second Republic: is concerned with development and violates the rights, personal property, and sanctity of the bodies of its citizens
It seems that the executive authority has become indifferent to the private property rights of its citizens over their property, and even extended the matter to their bodies. And why not! After the full control of the legislative and judicial authority and the media by the executive authority, it became very natural that in order to facilitate traffic to and from the administrative capital, the licensed commercial markets may be transferred without appropriate compensation, as happened in the seventh district in Nasr City and what is happening now with the people of Almaza. This takes place under the slogan of development, and in order to rationalize within the government apparatus, laws are enacted against all international conventions and treaties on human rights allowing the government to violate the sanctity of the body of its citizens through the sudden analysis of public sector employees in order to detect drug users and the punishment of those who are proven positive or abstained or evaded from conducting. They could be suspended from work and fired. It is assumed that this law aims to protect lives, facilities and state funds, and all this takes place after President El-Sisi called during the 33rd educational symposium for the armed forces to consider moving to the administrative capital as marking the birth of a new state and a second republic.
A state of anger prevails among the residents of the Heliopolis (Misr El Gidida) Company for Housing and Development buildings in the Almaza area, due to the Cairo Governorate’s decision to remove all properties overlooking the main Hussein Kamel Selim Street, claiming to expand the road based on the directives of the political leadership, in the context of facilitating traffic to and from the new administrative capital. Located in the heart of the desert, east of the Egyptian capital, the residents of the Almaza area in the Heliopolis neighbourhood sent a distress call to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, complaining about the decision to expropriate their private property in order to expand Hussein Kamel Selim Street, which represents a serious damage to the security and property of families and families who have lived there for decades. The region has always been an example to be followed in the sophistication of its families, their patriotism, and their organized homes within the wide streets of the region, and the distress call added that their housing units “are private property purchased with documented contracts, and they have a share in the land from the Heliopolis Company for Housing and Development, which is one of the subsidiaries of the state. Therefore, it is not a random area which land has been usurped,” and that “all the people of the Almaza area are not against development, but there are many alternatives to developing the street other than demolishing their homes.”
The Official Gazette published President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s decision to ratify Law No. 73 of 2021 regarding the conditions for holding or continuing jobs, after the House of Representatives approved the law. It provides for the termination of the service of the employee who uses drugs if the final analysis result proves positive. Also, that the law aims to protect lives, facilities and state funds, and it is required to conduct an inductive analysis suddenly, and if abuse is proven, work is suspended for three months and half the wage is deducted during the suspension period. According to the wording of the law, workers must disclose before conducting a sudden analysis about all drugs that they use, whether it affects or does not affect the result. The penalty is the termination of service after confirming the positivity of the sample in the confirmatory analysis, and proof of intentional abstention or evasion from conducting the analysis without an acceptable excuse is a compelling reason to terminate the service. Additionally, the law punishes whoever deliberately allows the appointment or continuation of the drug use at work and will be imprisoned and fined up to 200,000 pounds, and whoever deliberately cheats in conducting tests or gives a result that is contrary to reality is punishable by imprisonment.
After the high frequency of issuing and implementing death sentences, will the death penalty be adopted within the national strategy for human rights!
The Prisons Authority executed 7 convicts in criminal cases inside the Burj Al Arab prison in Alexandria, in the presence of the leaders of the Burj Al Arab prison, a member of the Public Prosecution, a forensic doctor and an imam, while the bodies were transferred to the Kom El-Dikka morgue in preparation for handing them over to their families for burial. They have been convicted with murder associated with theft, and they are from 3 governorates: Dakahlia, Beheira and Alexandria, and the bodies remain in the morgue of Kom El-Dikka, until their families are notified to receive them. In the event that the family refuses to receive the body (and this is what often happens) the body remains in the mortuary refrigerator for a while, and then based on a decision by the Public Prosecution, the body is buried in the charity cemetery.
It is reported that last Monday, the Court of Cassation upheld the death sentences against 12 leaders of the group: Mohamed Beltagy, Safwat Hegazy, Abdulrahman Al-Bar, Oussama Yassin, Ahmed Aref, Ihab Wajdi Mohamed ,Mohamed Abdul-Hay, Al-Farmawi, Mostafa Abdelhay Farmawi, and Ahmed Farouk. Kamel, Haitham El-Sayed El-Araby, Mohamed Mahmoud Ali Zenati, and Abdel-Adhim Ibrahim Mohamed. After 14 days from the issuance of the decision of the Court of Cassation, the ruling becomes enforceable in the event that the President of the Republic ratifies the ruling, unless the sentence is commuted or he orders a pardon, as the law has given authority to the President of the Republic. Within 14 days of confirming the death sentence, the president can commute the sentence to death row or pardon them permanently.
Important judicial rulings that triumph over the right to organize and establish parties
The Egyptian legal and human rights movement is still doing more than what it can to achieve the basic values of human rights and work to try to preserve and defend what remains of the public sphere. The Administrative Court of Justice rejected the lawsuit filed by Samir Sabry, the lawyer, in which he asked to obligate the President of the Republic to issue a decision to dismiss Abdelmonoam Aboul Fotouh, head of the Strong Egypt Party, politically, and the Political Parties Department of the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that an appeal demanding the dissolution of the living and Freedom Party “under establishment” and any affiliated organizations would not be accepted. The appeal lodged by Samir Sabry was challenged by the lawyer and former agent of the party, Khaled Ali.
The party issued a statement, calling on all persons, organizations and democratic parties to stand in solidarity with their right to political participation and the establishment of a legitimate party, calling on party friends and stakeholders to preserve the experience of establishing a new legitimate party.
10 years after the beginning of the investigations into the foreign funding case, the investigations of 4 other associations ended with no reason to file a lawsuit
Although the Economic Court acquitted them last January of the charge of assaulting the values and principles of the Egyptian family, an Egyptian court sentenced the activist on TikTok, Haneen Hosam, to 10 years and fined her 200,000 Egyptian pounds (about 13 thousand US dollars). The court also ruled that Mawadda al-Adham and three others be imprisoned for 6 years and fined 200,000 pounds each for “human trafficking.” The prosecution charged the defendants with several charges, including “assaulting the values and principles of the Egyptian family and society, participating with others in luring and exploiting girls through direct broadcasts, and committing the crime of human trafficking.” The accusations also included “receiving bank transfers from the management of the Tik Tok application in exchange for what it achieved by viewing and publishing videos that incite immorality to increase the percentage of its followers, and membership in the “WhatsApp” group to receive assignments to exploit girls.”
Activists between imprisonment, rotation and solidarity campaigns, and the concern of the US Congress
US Congressmen Don Bayer and Tom Malinowski have condemned the investigation of Hossam Bahgat, executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, by the Public Prosecution Office, over a tweet from last year, in which he blamed the former head of the National Elections Authority, Ibrahim Lashin, for the manipulation that tainted the parliamentary elections. Bayer and Malinowski’s statement stated that the investigation with Hossam came after a meeting he had with US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, last April, which can be interpreted as a direct insult to US diplomacy and efforts to promote peaceful civil society work around the world.
For the second time, lawyer Mohamed Ramadan is being sent to jail after a decision was issued to release him, as the State Security Prosecution decided to include Ramadan in Case No. 910 of 2021, two days after the Cairo Criminal Court’s decision to release him pending case No. 467 of 2020 State Security Restriction, According to lawyer Mohamed Hafez. The police arrested Ramadan in December 2018, after he posted a photo on Facebook wearing a yellow jacket similar to what protesters were wearing in France at the time, and he remained in pre-trial detention for two years pending investigations in Case No. 16576 of 2018 (the park administrator), where he was released in December 2020, to be included again in case No. 467 of 2020. In all these cases, Ramadan faced the same accusation of joining a banned group.
A global campaign of solidarity with Rami Shaath, coordinator of the BDS movement in Egypt, has begun, marking 700 days since his pre-trial detention in case No. 930 of 2019, known as the Hope Cell, approaching the maximum permissible limit of pre-trial detention. The campaign is supposed to end on June 23, simultaneously Shaath will complete his fiftieth year. The campaign aims to collect 100,000 signatures on a petition calling for the immediate release of Shaath, and submit it to Egyptian embassies in different capitals around the world. The campaign also intends to organize a number of marches and protests in different cities, including Washington and Paris. So far, 11 political organizations and committees are participating in the campaign, including Amnesty International, the American Committee to End Political Repression, the International Federation for Human Rights, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.
Today, June 22, 2021, the State Security Misdemeanors Court, held in New Cairo Court in the Fifth Settlement, issued a four-year prison sentence and a fine of 500 pounds to researcher Ahmed Samir Santawi in Case No. 774 of 2021 Emergency State Security Misdemeanors restricted to No. 877 of 2021. He was investigated on 22 May. It is worth noting that this ruling cannot be appealed under the emergency law, and Santawi is facing charges of spreading false news and statements abroad about the internal conditions of the country, and it is reported that Santawi is still imprisoned for another case, which is the case No. 65 for the year 2021 limiting the security of the Supreme State.
Harassment at Cairo International Airport (Airport Girl)
Basma Beshai, an activist on social media, was surprised by an airport employee filming her from behind without her permission, and she and her husband caught him while he was trying to escape, to film a video clip at the scene of the incident and upload it on social media to witness great spread and sympathy. After the controversy raised by the video clip, the Nozha Misdemeanor Court decided to punish an employee working at Cairo International Airport with imprisonment for 3 years, and a fine of 20,000 pounds, after he harassed a girl and photographed her inappropriately, according to the Egyptian newspaper, “Al-Ahram”. The court issued its decision against the accused after accusing him of “violating the sanctity of the victim’s private life.” The court also decided to confiscate the phone that the accused used for filming.
Disagreements and the conflict of the Renaissance Dam move to Facebook
The Facebook platform announced the deletion of a network of Ethiopian accounts, which included 65 personal accounts, 52 pages, 27 Facebook groups, in addition to 32 accounts on Instagram, due to its involvement in coordinated activity to create fake accounts for the purpose of misleading the Ethiopian public. The network used Amharic language mainly to comment on current political news and events, including dealing with the ruling Prosperity Party, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, as well as criticism of the positions of Egypt and Sudan regarding the Renaissance Dam. The network also published content critical of politicians and groups opposed to the Ethiopian government. Despite the attempt by those in charge of this network to conceal their identities, the investigation concluded that it is linked to individuals affiliated with the Information Network Security Service in Ethiopia, the agency responsible for monitoring communications and the Internet since its establishment years before Abiy Ahmed took power.
The move comes at a delicate time for Abi Ahmed, who is preparing for the general elections on June 21st. Aby Ahmed reached the prime ministership in 2018 with an agreement to transfer power from his predecessor, who was forced to step down under the pressure of widespread popular protests.
The platform said in its statement that the process of misinformation included the use of repeated and fake accounts to post, comment, and manage groups and pages on the Facebook and Instagram platforms for publishing as media entities. The network organized a campaign to speed up the pace of publishing starting last year, while some of the published content was evaluated as untrue and misleading news by independent investigators in the accuracy of the information. This network reached a large number of followers that is estimated around 1.1 million people. The network spent more than six thousand US dollars to promote its content on the Internet, according to Facebook.
Epidemiological situation
Tunisia
Parliament is concerned with Authorities and strengthens its relations with civil society organizations, and there is still a long way to go before the establishment of the Constitutional Court
In a follow-up to the parliament’s work this week, the House of People’s Representatives voted on the midterm renewal of the composition of the Authority for the Prevention of Torture.
Within the framework of the oversight role played by civil society organizations on parliamentary work, the “I Watch” organization launched the “Parliamentarians Against Corruption” initiative in its second edition, with the participation of 18 deputies and 7 different blocs. The members of the network signed the charter of the “Parliamentarians Against Corruption” initiative as a starting signal for joint action, and as a result, a meeting was held on Thursday morning, June 17, chaired by Mr. Tarek Fetiti, Second Deputy Speaker of the Assembly of People’s Representatives, and brought together a number of representatives from different blocs and representatives of the Iwatch organization to constitute this initiative.
The process of the Constitutional Court is still ongoing, as the member of the Parliament of the People’s Representatives office in charge of relations with the judicial authorities and constitutional bodies, Mabrouk Karshid, confirmed the agreement on the date of July 8, 2021 to hold an electoral plenary session to complete the election of the members of the Constitutional Court, and confirmed the existence of positive indicators to reach consensus to complete the election of The Court members. It is noteworthy that the parliament succeeded in a previous electoral plenary session in electing a single member, Rawdha Warsigheni, to member The Constitutional Court.
The free constitutional party suffers from internal and external conflicts
The Free Constitutional Party continues to wage wars against its opponents, especially Nahdha, but this time it seems that the internal crisis prevails, as a group of former leaders of the Free Constitutional Party, including the deputy secretary-general of the party, who has been dismissed since May 2018, Lotfi Mahfoudhi, held a press conference on June 15, 2021 to denounce their expulsion and withdrawal from the party, demanding that they be included in the upcoming August conference so that it would be a “real democratic conference.”
Intensive government work to enhance the economic and social situation
This morning, Thursday, June 17, 2021 at the Government Palace in Kasbah, Chief Of Government Hichem Mechichi supervised the meeting of the Council of Ministers through remote communication technology. To commence with, the council started by studying the health situation and the project of reviewing authorizations for economic activities in order to alleviate the complications of administrative and bureaucratic procedures, by deleting a set of licenses in certain areas, especially since Tunisia needs to activate internal and external investments in the post-Covid-19 pandemic.
The Cabinet approved a number of draft laws and draft government decrees:
- A draft organic law related to the approval of the organisational frame agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tunisia and the Arab Accreditation Cooperation.
- Draft government decree relating to the regulation of the organizational structure of the pipeline transport company.
Draft governmental decree relating to the revision of decree n° 98-2409 dated November 30, 1998, relating to the organization of the National Institute of Marine Science and Technology.
Draft governmental decree relating to the revision of decree n° 2000-1935 dated August 29, 2000, relating to the organization of the Veterinary Research Institute.
Draft governmental decree relating to the revision of decree n° 2000-1187 dated May 30, 2000 relating to the organization of the “Zitouna” Institute.
Draft governmental decree relating to the revision of decree n° 2000-1409 dated August 24, 2000 relating to the organization of the National Research Institute in Rural Engineering, Water and Forests.
Draft governmental decree amending governmental decree n° 2015-2777 dated December 31, 2015 relating to the creation of a management unit according to the objectives for the realization of the integrated agricultural development project in Gabes (phase II) in the governorate of Gabes and the regulation of its organization and methods of operation.
A draft government decree approving the list of those concerned with settling the status of state agricultural real estate located in the governorates of Gafsa, Kasserine, Sfax, Nabeul and Manouba by way of mortgage sales and the prices of these real estates.
Draft governmental decree amending the Beylical decree dated January 13, 1921 relating to the expropriation in the public interest of plots of land necessary to expand the campus of the Bir El Kassaa station, which is incorporated into the real estate of the grain storage center in Bir El Kassaa in the Governorate of Ben Arous.
Draft government decree related to the expropriation for the public interest of plots of land located in Tataouine necessary for the completion of the link between Tataouine and the A1 route in the governorates of Tataouine and Medenine.
A draft governmental decree relating to the expropriation in the public interest of plots of land located in the governorate of Tunis necessary for the construction of the Great shark (Al Qerch al Akbar) Transformer – Ghana Street in the context of linking the North Lake with Saudi Arabia Street.
Draft governmental decree relating to the termination of the work mechanism for the operation of the workers of the regional and agricultural areas in a field other than the one specified for it.
Draft government decree regarding the extension of the deadlines for the completion of the tasks of the management unit according to the objectives at the head of the government to implement the strategy of reform and governance of public establishments and institutions
In the context of discussing ways to advance the social and economic sector and striving to resolve the pending crises for a while, the file of urban workers was studied on Wednesday afternoon, June 16, at the headquarters of the public service offices in Kasbah.
A 5 plus 5 session united the government and the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) in the presence of the head of government and a delegation from the union The Tunisian General of Labour, headed by Secretary-General Noureddine Taboubi. It was agreed to settle the status of the workers of the state and issue administrative decrees before next Friday and to activate the agreement of last February 6th.
After the meeting, the Minister of Social Affairs stated that an agreement had been signed to settle the status of the workers and to issue administrative decrees ,in this regard, before Friday, June 18, as well as the decrees related to the February 6 agreement. For his part, the Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Labour Union reported that it was agreed on the file of the workers signed on October 20 between the union and the government, which includes the settlement of the situation of 31 thousand workers according to the exact standards, confirming that the settlement agreement was signed during today’s session, after which the government will issue the related regulatory decrees before next Friday.
Always in the same context of supporting the social and economic situation, the Presidency of the Government decided on June 20, 2021, to cancel dealing with licenses in several sectors, and that from now on, these licenses will be compensated by terms of reference in 27 areas, including tobacco shops and irregular public transport.
And in follow up regarding the outcomes of the visits to Libya, Qatar and Geneva, the Head of Government met at the Government Palace in the Kasbah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Tunisians Abroad Othmen Jrandi. The Minister of Foreign Affairs presented a report on the regional and international situation. At the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers and the extraordinary session of the Council of the League of Arab States in Doha, the Chief of Government stressed the importance of coordinating efforts and joint work in order to establish effective economic diplomacy that provides Tunisia with all opportunities for cooperation with brotherly and friendly countries and economic and financial partners. He also called for doubling diplomatic efforts to provide vaccination and to continue coordination with the World Health Organization, especially after the recent agreement that was made with the organization to import 600,000 doses to Tunisia, stressing the importance of raising the rate of vaccination until the activity returns to the economic cycle.
The statements of the President of the Republic transform the national dialogue from a solution to a problem
The President of the Republic, Kais Saied, called for a meeting at Carthage Palace, which included former heads of government, Ali Larayedh, Youssef Chahed and Elyes Fakhfakh, and the current chief of government, Mr. Hichem Mechichi.
The meeting discussed how to get out of the political, economic and social crisis that Tunisia is experiencing.
A collective diagnosis was not reached, but the reasons that led to this situation and ways to overcome it were discussed. He also reiterated his position rejecting dialogue as it happened before.
He considered that such dialogues are not considered patriotic referring to the union’s initiative, and focused on the need to introduce political reforms after experience proved that the current political organization and the approved method of voting led to division and disruption of the normal functioning of the state.
He also talked about a number of legal and ethical breaches and abuses, and focused in this regard on the fact that “immunity cannot be a tool to bypass the law, but rather is a tool to ensure the independence of those who enjoy it.”
These recent statements by the President of the Republic angered the Secretary-General of the Union, Noureddine Taboubi, who disagreed with these allegations, stressing that the president missed the goal this time and that the national organizations are patriotic despite everyone’s nose and that the national dialogue was led by great figures, including the former Secretary General of the Union, Mr. Hssin Al Abbassi, as well as officials From the Union of Industry and Commerce (UTICA), as well as the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights and the Deanship of Lawyers, “who all testify to their pioneering role, and we do not wait for anyone’s testimony, even the President of the Republic”. Al-Taboubi also stressed that the union respects those who respect it and does not respect those who do not respect it, regardless of their position.
In the same context of the National Dialogue, the President of the Republic received at Carthage Palace, Mr. Lotfi Zitoun. This meeting represented an opportunity to discuss the general situation in the country, and to raise some political, social and legal issues. This conversation was an occasion to raise some ambiguities.
After the suspicious expulsion, planning to assassinate the President of the Republic.. again
And always within the framework of the conspiracy theory, Kais Saied accused political parties of going abroad in search of a way to remove him, even if by assassination, and he said in a video posted on the official page of the Presidency of the Republic: “In any way, I am well aware of what I am saying, in any way, even by assassination, and how bad they planned, and how bad they did, and those who were unjust, and they were informants, will know which coup they will turn against.” .As a result, the Acting Minister of Justice, Hasna Ben Slimane, authorized the attorney general at the Court of Appeal in Tunis to open an investigation and conduct the necessary investigations into the assassination attempt.
The President of the Republic receives an honorary doctorate during his visit to Rome and Tunisia receives a funding of 200 million euros
On the occasion of the President’s visit to Rome, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Tunisians signed with his Italian counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, a memorandum of understanding on Tunisian-Italian cooperation for development for the period 2021-2023. This agreement provides for allocating 200 million euros (50 million euros as a gift and 150 million euros as a soft loan) to finance development projects, economic recovery, agriculture, employment, training and youth integration.
At the conclusion of this visit, the Italian government wanted to brand the president by awarding him an honorary doctorate in law from the prestigious Italian University “La Sapienza”.
Attempts to suppress young people are still continuing after Houssem Bouguerra’s message
In the midst of all these economic crises and political conflicts that the Tunisian state is experiencing, instead of standing by the youth and urging them to take individual initiatives and keep pace with their era, the state continues to oppress them and degrade their will. For the young man, “Houssem Bouguerra”, who was arrested for cryptocurrency mining and was charged with several charges, including playing electronic games without a license, and the matter reached the point of terrorism, cooling corpses and selling human organs! He was also later charged with other charges of money laundering through digital currency mining. It is reported that the accused has been detained since March 13, 2021. His wife confirmed that her husband had not committed any crime other than his passion for electronic games and “Bitcoin”. It also confirmed that the investigative judge dismissed the case twice but the Public Prosecution Office appealed his decision. She reported that when she visited him in prison, she found him in a very bad psychological and physical condition, and he was threatening to commit suicide because of his despair. After investigating him, the Indictment Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Monastir issued a decision on the evening of Tuesday, June 22, 2021, to annul the decision, seal the investigation and remand the file to the investigating judge to formulate a new decision and continue investigation in light of the notes identified by the department.
The pattern of violence against women continues… What is the solution if laws no longer suffice?
Not a day goes by without hearing about a new case of violence in which a woman was a victim, as if violence has become the norm in our society and all the laws against violence against women and international conventions that condemn it and all women’s rights associations and organizations are useless, as they were unable to perform their supposed role and address all these behaviours. Last week, a heinous rape incident occurred in Sousse, where a group of perverts raided a house and raped a married woman in front of her husband and her two children, under the threat of the husband. In a follow-up to the latest investigations in this case, it is reported that the judicial police force in Sousse was able to arrest the most dangerous element involved in this case.
Follow-up to the Italian waste issue
In another context, and in relation to the Italian waste issue, which still occupies public opinion and has not yet been resolved, Foreign Minister Othmen Jrandi confirmed, on Wednesday, June 16 from the Italian capital Rome, that the issue of imported Italian waste will be resolved, and that there is consensus between the Tunisian and Italian authorities in order to find a final solution to this issue, and that “the Italian waste issue was among the issues that arose during the talks that took place between the Tunisian President, his Italian counterpart and the chief of government.” The Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that this issue is currently in the hands of Italian justice. It has to consider its merits.
The stumbling path of transitional justice… Ghannouchi is on the line…
In a follow-up to the stumbling blocks of transitional justice, Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi affirmed in a statement on Thursday, June 17, that the parliament will continue to play its role regarding this file to bring justice to the victims and rehabilitate them and their families, when receiving members of the coordination of the National Committee for Victims of Tyranny. In a statement to Parliament, Ghannouchi stressed “the need to work on empowering fighters and victims of their rights, revealing the truth, offering apologies and compensation to the victims, and then reconciliation, highlighting also the need to seek to avoid the obstruction witnessed by the transitional justice file despite the passage of 10 years of waiting.”
The release of Nabil Karoui and Sami Fehri raises controversy
In a follow-up to corruption and money laundering cases for this week, it is reported that the journalist Sami Fehri was released on Friday, June 18, 2021, after paying an estimated amount of 4 million dinars, according to his lawyer, “Abdelaziz Essid.”
Following the release of Nabil Karoui, the “I Watch” organization, which represents the plaintiff in this case, issued a statement denouncing this decision and affirming its confidence in the justice system and the integrity of the judiciary. It also clarified that Karoui remaining in a state of release should not affect the course of investigation, or the upcoming judicial stages in the file. It also stressed that the organization will not hesitate to resort to the Supreme Judicial Council and the Ministry of Justice’s inspection if it is proven that there are serious suspicions about deliberately tampering with the procedures for the benefit of the accused.
Corruption suspicions afflict the Gafsa Phosphate Company and officials at Carthage International Airport
Always in the same context of monitoring corruption cases this week, MP Badreddine Gammoudi stressed that the process of selling Ben Ali Palace in the Gulf of Angels region (sousse) is a suspicious process and that the price offered does not match the real value of the palace. Which underlines the existence of a corruption process in this process.
As for the suspected corruption of the Gafsa Phosphate Company, the Access to Information Authority issued a decision obligating the Gafsa Phosphate Company to hand over to “I Watch” organization hard copies of the contracts for commercial phosphate quantities that the phosphate company had undertaken to export and supply, and a copy of the contract signed with one of the contractors for the extraction of phosphates in Meknassi. The decision also included obligating the company itself to hand over to the organization copies of contracts for phosphate transfer deals for the years 2019 and 2020, in addition to documents related to all in-kind and financial contributions made by the company to support state institutions in combating the Coronavirus. Iwatch filed a case against the Gafsa Phosphate Company, after it did not receive a response, within the legal deadlines, from the company in this regard, based on the demands it submitted in accordance with the law.
On the other hand, it stated that it had issued 72 new decisions regarding requests for access to information, bringing the total number of cases resolved by the authority’s council, as of June 17, this year, to 2511 cases, out of a total of 3779 cases, that have been published before the authority since it began carrying out its duties.
This week’s monitoring operations also revealed the involvement of a group of security officials in a corruption case, following their involvement in the passing of a terrorist named Jamel Rihani, who came from Turkey after serving a prison sentence in a terrorist case there. These officials are:
- Head of the Tunis-Carthage Airport directory
- Head of the Information Service, Tunis-Carthage
- Head of the Terrorism Service, Tunis Carthage
- Head of the Guidance Service, Tunis, Carthage
The bakery crisis continues, while Mechichi intervenes to solve the engineers’ crisis
The country is going through an unprecedented economic, social and health crisis, exacerbated by high prices and repeated strikes in sectors of life such as bakeries, which, beginning on June 17, entered into a general strike throughout the territory of the Republic. 24 regional chambers, and the head chamber called on the relative authorities to pay bakeries’ dues to the state, which are estimated at 180 million dinars, while adhering to the abolition of the decree issued in 2020 related to monopoly and subsidized materials. They also called for the implementation of the ministerial decision related to the elimination of random bakeries. Finally, they stressed that if the government does not respond to these demands, the entire sector consisting of 3,600 bakeries will go on strike for 3 days.
As for the crisis of engineers in the public sector, the chief of government intervened to resolve this situation through his meeting with the Dean of Engineers, which ended with reaching an agreement and finally suspending the strike. It is worth noting that this decision was not unanimous and approved by all engineers.
As for the recent incident of Sidi Hssin, the Syndicate of Journalists and a number of associations and organizations, including the Tunisian General Labour Union, the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights, and DAAM Center called for a protest march on June 18.
The health situation: Kairouan is on top, the affected regions are under the microscope… Has the situation gotten out of control?
The health situation is getting more dangerous day by day, as the rate of infection is increasing continuously and unprecedentedly in many regions such as Beja, Siliana, Bizerte, Sidi Bouzid, etc but the worst situation remains in Kairouan, where the state registred record numbers of infections and deaths. As well, some hospitals experienced a shortage of medical equipment and beds while others ran out of capacity.
As a result of these deteriorating conditions, the Presidency of the Government and the Presidency of the Republic approved several measures, including the establishment of a military field hospital in the region and the adoption of a general quarantine.
Libya
The result of the Egyptian-Turkish reconciliation: the head of the Egyptian intelligence roaming the streets of Tripoli
On a very important visit to Libya, the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity in Libya, Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, accompanied the head of Egyptian General Intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, on a tour that included the most prominent landmarks of the city of Tripoli. The President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Manfi, received the head of Egyptian intelligence, Kamel, and the meeting dealt with activating the joint technical committee and enhancing cooperation in all fields. Al-Manfi urged the need for Egyptian companies to return to Libya to contribute to reconstruction and cooperation in the energy field, and support the national reconciliation project. Al-Manfi also called on the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to visit Libya as soon as possible.
- The Berlin Conference: Compatibility among Libyans or restoring balance between Westerners?
- The conclusion of the work of the Berlin 2 conference on Libya
- Draghi announces the “end” of the stage of competition between the national interests of the European state in Libya and the Sahel
- Merkel strongly denies running for a fifth term as chancellor
The Berlin 2 conference concludes its work amid a full international consolidation with the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries from Libyan lands and moving forward with the December elections
In Berlin, the conclusion of the Berlin 2 Conference was announced, which discussed the situation in Libya with the participation of international actors and under the auspices of the United Nations and Germany. The final statement of the conference called on the Libyan authorities to make the necessary preparations for holding free and fair national presidential and parliamentary elections next December. Interfering in the Libyan conflict and internal affairs, and calling on all international parties to abide by this, and to implement international resolutions by punishing anyone who violates the arms embargo in Libya. He called on the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of the State to agree on the sovereign position in accordance with the roadmap approved by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.
In a press conference following the conclusion of the conference, the German Foreign Minister expressed his belief that there is an understanding between Turkey and Russia on a gradual withdrawal of forces from Libya to maintain balance and that it will not happen overnight, stressing that the withdrawal of foreign forces from Libya must be achieved step by step, “Gradually”, he said, “We will work to withdraw all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya, and we will not hesitate to do so.” The military and security establishment, infrastructure reform, reconstruction, and the withdrawal of all foreign mercenaries, indicating that the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya will take place gradually and in a balanced manner. She hopes for their withdrawal from both sides of the conflict in the coming days, and considers that the continued presence of foreign forces and mercenaries does not only harm Libya, but the entire region, and noted that the best way to achieve stability in Libya is to organize free elections. And that the Berlin meeting reflects the international commitment to achieving stability in Libya. Al-Manqoush said that it is not possible to talk about transitional justice without the existence of mechanisms in practice, and that national reconciliation is part of transitional justice.
The Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, also announced that the stage of competition between the national interests of European countries in Libya and the turbulent Sahel (coastal) region has ended, given the realization that this is a very big challenge, which cannot be faced by countries alone. : “Do you remember when there were European countries that thought they had their own national strategy in Libya? They don’t talk about it anymore. They are trying to reduce their presence in the coast and we are moving towards a coordinated agreement and collective action. We were competitors, but today we are no longer talking about this, we did not advance (as Europeans) in a certain order and we hurted ourselves, but today it is no longer about different positions. There is a discussion (but) we are all on the same line,” he explained, stressing that what they are trying to do is urging the European Union to work under the auspices of the United Nations and find out if the United States of America can be involved in this stage.
In the same context, German Chancellor Angela Merkel received Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dabaiba at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. This came on the sidelines of Dabaiba’s participation in the second Berlin Conference on Libya, and the German government spokesman said that Chancellor Merkel received the Libyan Prime Minister. Together, they welcomed the results of the Berlin Conference held at the level of foreign ministers. Merkel encouraged the completion of preparations for the national elections scheduled for December 2021, and reiterated the German government’s support for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries from Libya.
The General Command of the Libyan Armed Forces follows up and comments on the work of the Berlin Conference 2
The General Command of the Libyan Armed Forces expressed its support for all efforts made to establish peace and restore stability, and fully support the holding of the elections on time, through a statement, and that it fully supports holding the elections on time, as “the Libyan people do not accept delay, or change on the date of the elections from any party”. “The command also expressed its hope that the United Nations mission will take all measures and assume its responsibility to hold the elections on the agreed date, and they support the efforts of the United Nations mission to restore stability in Libya through the success of the political dialogue work that all Libyans aspire to reach a formula of a consensual constitutional rule that allows everyone to enter the electoral race without preconditions, and that the current political dialogue is a historic opportunity for all of us that must be exploited in a way that brings our country out of its complex and intertwined crisis internally and externally, and to come up with a constitutional draft that should see the light and ignite the way in order to secure a stable and secure life that is deserved by the Libyans, as they look forward to the countries participating in the Berlin Conference to do all they can to guarantee immediate withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries under the auspices of the UN.”
The 5 + 5 Committee continues its field work to open the coastal road as soon as the maintenance work is completed within days
The “5 + 5” military committee issued a statement following an inspection visit it conducted to the coastal road, in which it confirmed that the road needs urgent repairs, and that it contacted the competent company to finish maintenance within days, and that it stood on the sites of security arrangements to establish the gates, and gave the green light to start entering the equipment.
The statement revealed a meeting held between the field operations rooms of the two parties and the Security Arrangements Committee on the line of contact for the first time for the purpose of coordinating the procedures for opening the road. The “5 + 5” committee stressed the continuation of its meetings and field work to open the coastal road, as soon as the work of maintenance ends in a few days.
We must stop the gross human rights violations inside the detention centres for refugees and migrants in Libya
Doctors Without Borders announced that it intends to stop its operations in two detention centers for irregular migrants in Tripoli, due to the increase in violence, violations and ill-treatment inflicting refugees and migrants, as well as the danger to the safety of the staff. This has reached a level that the organization can no longer tolerate.”
The organization indicated that, last week, it treated 19 people inside the detention center called Al-Mabani who had suffered fractures, cuts, abrasions and severe trauma as a result of beatings and other acts of violence committed by guards there it specified that “one of the patients was a child who was not accompanied by his parents, and he was unable to walk due to serious injuries to his ankles. According to the organization, it is estimated that more than two thousand people are languishing in overcrowded cells in the center of Al mabani”
It pointed out that “in the detention center (Abu Salim), we received reports on the 13th of this June, of shooting at people inside the center from an automatic weapon, but we were prevented from entering the center for a whole week, which prevented its doctors from interfering and treating the injured, according to a statement., “Most of the detention centers lack ventilation and natural light, and some are so overcrowded that up to 4 people share one square meter of space, forcing people to take shifts to lie down and sleep.
Doctors Without Borders’ decision and statement comes two days after an “Associated Press” report shed light on reports of “sexual assault by Libyan guards against minor asylum seekers in the center of “Zawiya Street” in Tripoli, where the victims are still in detention.”
اEpidemiological situation
The National Center for Disease Control announced the registration of 215 new infections with the Coronavirus, in addition to 199 cases of recovery, and three deaths. The center said in its statement No. 437, published on its Facebook page, that it ran 3,342 tests for Coronavirus detection out of which 3127 revealed negative and 215 samples were positive. Therefore, 6.4% of the total samples examined are positive.
Last update : 24/06/2021 - 15:00
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