Weekly newsletter

The weekly newsletter from 16 to 22 of september 2021

This post is also available in: Arabic

Egypt

Days after the launch of the National Human Rights Strategy, El-Sisi announces the imminent opening of the largest prison complex within days, designed according to an American version

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi revealed that the largest prison complex will be opened within days, designed according to an American version, and it is one of 8 prisons, saying:

“We will not punish twice, we will punish once, but it will be in humane conditions.” He added, there will be no deportation vehicles. Rather, it is a very respectable movement, decent living, medical care, humanitarian, cultural and rehabilitating care. No one will be taken in a deportation vehicle, the Judiciary exists there”.
abdel fattah sissi
The President

News of holding a large conference in Tora prison in the presence of the President of the Republic to provide a selected group of political prisoners with amnesty.

“If you attended a conference in which the President of the Republic or the Minister of Interior asked you about prison conditions, what would you say? If you were granted a presidential amnesty and released from prison, what would you do?” These are examples of questions posed by officers of the National Security Agency to hundreds of prisoners in cases of a political nature who have been imprisoned in a number of prisons nationwide, since the beginning of last month according to the assurances of three lawyers close to the families of prisoners in Minya, Wadi el-Natrun and Tora prisons.

The lawyers ensured that national security informed dozens of detainees who answered these questions in an acceptable manner that their names were placed on an amnesty list, which they expected to be announced by the President of the Republic during a conference in Tora Prison next October. One of the lawyers said that he learned from a number of his clients in Tora Prison during the past three weeks that the prison administration is arranging for a large conference in the presence of the President of the Republic and the Minister of Interior, while the leaders of the National Security in prison will choose a number of prisoners, especially politicians, whether Islamists or others, and ask them some questions, and train a number of them on specific answers to the questions, in return for their release in a presidential amnesty.

What happened in Tora prison is very similar to what happened in Wadi el-Natrun and Minya prisons, according to the lawyers. Political prisoners are part of the President of the Republic’s regular amnesty decision in October, whether on the occasion of the celebrations of the sixth of October or the Prophet’s birthday during the second third of the same month. The treatment of prisoners, and the president’s talk about improving conditions inside prisons and opening new prisons to reduce the population density are good indications.

Tora Prison

The Egyptian army announces the death of former Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi at the age of 85

The Egyptian army announced the death of the former defense minister and military commander, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, at the age of 85. Tantawi was in charge of the military council that ruled Egypt after the January 25th  revolution that overthrew Mubarak and became the country’s de facto ruler for a year and a half. His tenure was for the purposes of conducting a number of electoral benefits, which resulted in the military council hardly relinquishing the executive authority of the country’s first elected civilian president, Mohamed Morsi, while retaining legislative authority and oversight over the Constituent Assembly , after dissolving the elected People’s Assembly as well. During his time, many events occurred such as the killings that provoked public opinion Besides, many activists and organizations hold him responsible for the death of more than 600 Egyptian martyrs in separate events that occurred during his tenure of managing the country’s affairs, most notably the events of Maspero, the Council of Ministers, Abbasiya, the killing of soldiers in Rafah, the Port Said stadium incident, Ultras Ahly, the stadium and the Ultras Zamalek air defence incident. This is in addition to the trial of more than 13,000 civilians before military courts.

0 Egyptian martyrs
in separate events that occurred during his tenure of managing the country’s affairs

Case No. 173 of 2011: a novel ruling that there is no ground to institute commence proceedings against 4 entities, bringing the number of organizations over which such a decision was issued to 71 entities, comprising nearly 200 accused.

Counsellor Ali Mukhtar, the President of the Cairo Court of Appeal, the delegated investigative judge in Case No. 173 of 2011 known as foreign funding for a number of civil society organizations, entities and associations, ruled that there is no point in filing a criminal case against 4 entities, due to insufficient evidence. The entities for which the decision was issued, are: Andalus Institute for Tolerance and anti-Violence Studies, the New Future House Center for Human Rights and Legal Studies, the Human Development Association in Mansoura, and the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights.

The decision included removing the names of those who were included in the lists of the banned from traveling and anticipating arrival, and the lists preventing them from disposing of their money, whether liquid or movable without prejudice to any other facts that may be the subject of investigation, relating to the current case or other cases. With the issuance of this decision, the number of organizations, associations and entities concerned with a ruling negating any reason to file a criminal case, whether for absence of the crime or for insufficiency of evidence – reaches 71 entities in which nearly 200 people have been charged.

Alaa Abdel-Fattah: has not been defeated yet

The (Defense) office issued a warning by a report to the Assistant Minister of Interior and Head of the Prisons Authority to transfer Alaa Abdel-Fattah from the maximum security prison “Tora” to another prison due to the existence of a judicial litigation and previous reports from Alaa against the prison administration, especially that he is being subjected to abuse because of these reports which led to depriving him of his rights to exercise, to have access to books, newspapers, and radio, and the right to phone calls. This exposes him to a pressure that led him to say that he would commit suicide during the previous session in front of the third circuit.

He also submitted a report to the State Security Prosecution to investigate what he had mentioned, to confirm the rights he was denied in violation of the prisons law and regulations, to confirm the judicial dispute between him and the prison administration, to request his transfer from this prison, and to authorize a private psychological counsellor specified by the family to hold treatment sessions for his sake and a permission for lawyers to visit him in prison.

On the other hand, “Fitzcaraldo Editions” publishing house, in the British capital, London, celebrated the release of the book “You are not defeated yet” by the blogger and political activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. The party stated that the book is good, while others sent a message to the activist who has been imprisoned since September 28, 2019, in which they told him: “You are not defeated yet.”

Immunity saves former Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawy and rejects the lawsuit against Muhammad Sultan in America

An American judge rejected the lawsuit filed by Egyptian-American activist Mohamed Sultan against former Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawy, in which he accused him of trying to kill him and directing and supervising acts of torture against him.

The dismissal of the case came as a result of Beblawy’s immunity as a diplomat and an ex-employee of the International Monetary fund, according to the text of the reasoning of the judge. The court clarified that the denial of the case does not reflect any position as to Sultan’s allegations nor does it comprehend defence to the accused. The court’s opinion as to the reality of the complaint is not reflected.  It is a merely jurisdictional matter as the defendant’s immunity precludes the court from considering the case.

Egyptian women obtain job rights, the controversy over the issue of inheritance is back, and the abuse of TikTok girls continues.

The State Council, headed by Counsellor Mohamed Hossam, issued Announcement No. 3 of 2021 accepting applications for the appointment of female members in the positions of deputy and assistant counsellor category B in the State Council.

At the same time, the fatwa on the father’s right to transfer his property to his daughters to protect their rights opens the door to a debate that arises from time to time in Egypt on the issue of equality in inheritance between men and women and the position of Sharia. “this is shameful,” this is how the former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Ali Gomaa, described in a television interview  his position that he rejects “the father writing his property for his daughters to protect their rights and will protect them in this world, and he pointed out that the division of inheritance according to Islamic law is different from the owner’s disposal of his money and property while he is alive, and he emphasized not to prejudice the provisions of inheritance, but to clarify that they come into force after death and not before it, as during his lifetime, the owner has the right to dispose of his money as he likes without aggression or waste” .

Gomaa’s statements sparked a storm of comments, issued by the objection of the Islamic preacher and professor at Al-Azhar University, Mabrouk Attia, who ignited the controversy with a television talk that the father’s transfer of property to his daughters, “will send him to hell,” as he put it, and rejected the claim of some that every person is free to dispose of his money especially in the issue of inheritance, and that the legal regulations are not restrictions but rather guarantees of interests, and that the wisdom behind making a male’s inheritance equal to that of two females is like the wisdom of the obligations of prayer, it must be adhered to without interpretation”.

0 pounds
on charges of spreading immorality.

The Economic Court in Alexandria sentenced Yasmine, known as “The Haouhouz Object”, and her boyfriend to 3 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 pounds each, on charges of spreading immorality. The Public Prosecution referred the case of “Yasmine.A.” And her friend, the photographer, to the Economic Court, for accusing them of spreading immorality and outraging public modesty by broadcasting videos on the TikTok application.

Suppressing social protests and ignoring labor strikes

The opposition judge at the Al-Haram District Court renewed the imprisonment of six residents of Nazlet El-Samman area in Giza, for 15 days, pending investigations, accusing them of protesting without a permit, gathering, and bullying. Two days after the governorate started a campaign to remove homes in the Sin Al-Agouz area, located in Nazlet El-Samman, as part of a development plan for the area near the Giza pyramids. Then, the Haram Prosecution imprisoned them for four days pending investigation. On September 4th, the opposition judge renewed their detention for 15 days.

More than 3,000 workers in the Universal Company for the production of electrical appliances also went on strike in the second industrial zone on the 6th of October. They protested against the delay in the payment of their salaries for a period of three months and the reduction of their salaries by 50% and the non-disbursement of monthly incentives in addition to the administrative abuse of workers. The strike began last Tuesday inside the company’s headquarters without any response from the management despite the distress of the workers in the Ministry of Manpower, the Council of Ministers and the People’s Assembly, the Presidency of the Republic and the General Syndicate of Engineering Industries and the filing of a complaint with the most prominent demands of the workers without a response.

Amnesty International calls on President Sisi to stop harassing and prosecuting human rights activists

Amnesty International has called on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to end the harassment of human rights defenders and other activists. In its report, Amnesty accused the Egyptian security services of intimidating and harassing human rights activists with the aim of “silencing them”. Human rights organizations have estimated the number of political detainees in Egypt at about 60,000 since Al-Sisi took power in 2014, adding, “In addition to the excessive follow-up/monitoring measures against human rights defenders and political activists, in an attempt to harass and intimidate them with the aim of silencing them.” On the other hand, they urged President El-Sisi to “immediately end the harassment and extrajudicial summons of human rights defenders and other activists,” and in a report titled “Whatis happening shall end when you die,” it criticized the Egyptian National Security Agency’s “increasingly sophisticated pattern of unlawful summons and coercive interrogations.” which amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

0 Detained
since Al-Sisi took power in 2014

In a new precedent, a statement by the presidency of the Security Council on the Renaissance Dam file

A statement by the Presidency of the Security Council urges Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to resume negotiations, at the invitation of the President of the African Union, with the aim of finalizing, urgently, an acceptable and binding agreement for the parties, regarding the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam, within a reasonable time frame. This presidential statement came, following a session of the Council, today, Wednesday, entitled, “Peace and Security in Africa.” The statement referred to the agreement on the Declaration of Principles on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, concluded between the three countries, on March 23, 2015. The Security Council stated that it had taken note of the negotiations that took place on the issue of the Renaissance Dam under Sponsorship of the African Union, and encourages the observers invited to attend the negotiations led by the African Union – and any other observers that Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan may decide to invite, consensually and jointly – to continue to support the negotiations, with a view to facilitating the resolution of outstanding technical and legal problems. The Council called on the three countries to move forward, in a constructive and cooperative manner, during the AU-led negotiation process, and emphasized that this statement “does not set any principles or precedent in any transboundary waters disputes.”

الوضع الوبائي

0 martyr
The number of doctors killed in the fight against the Coronavirus , according to the Egyptian Medical Syndicate page.

Tunisia

Legal newsletter

Association for the Defence of Individual Liberties: This exceptional situation in the country is dangerous

The Tunisian Association for the Defence of Liberties issued its first report on civil and political rights in times of exceptionality. In its statement the association regards the issuance of the presidential decree n°109-24 dated in august 24 2021 relative to extending the exceptional measures and suspending the jurisdiction of the house of the people’s representatives as a cover to a declared crisis.  Questions were raised regarding the imminent dangers threatening the country, which the President of the Republic mentioned as a reason for the extension, indeed, on what grounds ?

It stressed that it is no longer possible to continue the dismissals and raids, the seizure of files of public bodies, travel bans, house arrests, arrests, and judicial and military follow-up without transparency. There is no end to the exceptional measures that would blow up all hope of a speedy return to the normal functioning of the wheels of the state, which threatens the integrity of the nation.

A complaint from Chawki tabib and Anwar Maarouf to the High Commission for Human Rights

In an open letter published on Thursday, September 16, 2021, French lawyers William Bourdon and Vincent Barngarth announced that they had submitted a petition to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, referring to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for the benefits of their respective clients their representative, the former Dean and former head of the National Anti-Corruption Authority, Chawki Tabib and the Ennahdha leader and former Minister Mohamed Anwar Maarouf. the Working Group on Forced Detention is one of the mechanisms adopted by the High Commission for Human Rights to investigate related practices, and it is reported that Tabib and Maarouf have submitted two claims to the Administrative Court to invalidate the decision issued by the person in charge of running the Ministry of Interior. In the same context, the spokesperson for the Administrative Court revealed earlier that about 10 people filed cases, out of about 50 people under house arrest.

Shawqi the doctor

The military judiciary decided to keep the frozen deputy, Seifeddine Makhlouf in a state of release and an arrest warrant at the same time

The military judiciary decided upon keeping Makhlouf in a state of release in connection with the Carthage airport incident, and sat September as the date for his interrogation.

It seems important to mention that the deputy was arrested on the 17th of Septemeber 2021 before the military court of Tunis by a unit affiliated to the Sub-Directorate for Investigation of Criminal Cases, on the background of the warrant issued against him by the judiciary regarding the case related to the storming of Tunis-Carthage International Airport. That comes despite Makhlouf preparing to submit to the military judiciary, accompanied by a number of his lawyers.

However, in a sudden shift, lawyer Inès Harrath announced, through a post on her Facebook account, the issuance of an “arrest warrant without interrogation against the deputy and lawyer Seifeddin Makhlouf by the third investigative judge of the Permanent Military Court in a file that was formed this evening, based on an immediate report from the Assistant Military Undersecretary of the Republic After a dialogue between him and Saif in the lobby about the security of the country on the occasion of Mr. Makhlouf’s accidental presence in court, the content of the dialogue was considered a crime of “harming the morale of the army and spreading false news”.  She announced that a date was set for Makhlouf’s interrogation on September 30, 2021.

The State General Agency for Military Judiciary Administration stated that lawyer Saifeddin Makhlouf was present during the interrogation of the accused, Nidhal Saoudi, in what is known as the “airport incident” case, wishing to represent him. It added that Makhlouf insulted and threatened one of the military judges in the corridor of the military investigation, informing him that “according to his information obtained from foreign bodies, all the names of the participants in the coup are monitored, including the names of the participants in the military trials.” The General of the Military Court of Appeals was informed of the incident, and authorized the opening of a judicial investigation against makhlouf at the Military Investigation Registry. Given the state of flagrante delicto, the military investigative judge decided to issue an arrest warrant card against Makhlouf.

The President of the Republic: There is no travel ban except for these people

The President of the Republic, Kais Saied, instructed Ridha Gharsellaoui, who is in charge of running the Ministry of the Interior, that no person should be prevented from traveling unless it is the subject of a search or an arrest warrant. The President of the Republic explained that what is being promoted about ill-treatment is pure slander by those “who are not satisfied with slander on the ground, but rather want to slander even while they are in the air”.

Placement under house arrest: the possibility of exceeding the one-month deadline for adjudication of appeals

The spokesperson for the Administrative Court stated that it is possible to exceed the month deadline that determines the decisions on appeals against house arrest decisions that the court has started to consider since the beginning of the last August. The statistics of the Administrative Court related to these cases prove that exceeding the period of one month is applicable, and the Administrative Court has received, up to September 9, 10 appeals submitted by former ministers, judges and senior officials in the Tunisian administration because of their placement under house arrest. The Ministry of Interior did not submit any Clarifications on this issue.

What is strange about those official statements is Chapter 40 of Law No. 40 of 1972 relating to the Administrative Court, which states that “the first president decides on the case that is submitted to himself in a delay not exceeding 1 month by a motivated decision and without a prior verbal pleading”.

The head of the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights also stated that the association had received many complaints in relation to the decisions to ban travel, the placement under house arrest and the prohibition of gathering, and wrote to the Ministry of the Interior to set a meeting and discuss the issue, but so far there has not been a response to this request, noting that the association proposed to The Presidency of the Republic to engage a judicial department so that decisions taken for this purpose are based on a judicial decision.

Zoghlami: They are concerned about rights and freedoms due to the ambiguity of the vision and Said’s retraction from his promises to proceed with a participatory approach with civil society

The president of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, Naila Zoghlami, expressed her concern about the issue of suspending the constitution, especially after they had received previous promises from the President of the Republic about not suspending its implementation and bypassing the 2014 constitution at the level of Chapter 2, Rights and Freedoms, and Articles 6, 46 and 21, with regard to full and effective equality, And that despite the previous assurances that these chapters would not be touched, they had several fears, because he had previously said that he would conduct a series of consultations and meetings and go in the next phase with a participatory approach with civil society. However, after about 60 days have passed since the decisions of the 25th of July 2021, there is ambiguity and lack of Clarity of vision, especially since civil society did not receive clear responses to their questions about the course and future of protecting rights and freedoms.

Naila Zoghlami

Political newletter 

Ennahda calls for an end to the state of exception and lifting the freeze on Parliament

In a statement issued by its executive office, the Ennahdha Movement renewed its call to expedite the end of the exceptional measures as soon as possible, to lift the freeze on the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, and to appoint the person charged with forming a legitimate government capable of facing difficult economic and social conditions, in a circumstance characterized by severe difficulties. The most representative party in Parliament, whose powers are suspended by order of the President stated “that there is no solution to the complex crisis except through a comprehensive national dialogue and the dedication of the principle of participation in building a new scene that achieves the desired political stability, and an atmosphere conducive to the implementation of major reforms, in a way that opens a political horizon for the country and returns power to The sovereign people ”

The current constitution was approved on January 26, 2014 with a majority of 200 votes out of 217 deputies representing members of the National Constituent Assembly. Recently, parties and organizations have called for not resorting to unilaterally amending the constitution.

On the other hand, the executive office of the Ennahdha movement demanded to reveal the identity of the Tunisian who set himself on fire on Habib Bourguiba Street in the capital, to reveal the circumstances of his death, and to open an investigation.

The capital: After the irresponsible behaviour of the president’s supporters, security separates them from those denouncing the exceptional measures

In an irresponsible act, and in parallel with the first peaceful protest denouncing the exceptional measures approved by the President of the Republic on July 25, a number of citizens who supported the President gathered in front of the detractors in front of the Municipal Theater and raised slogans supporting the decisions of the President of the State and opposing the Parliament’s suspended powers. The protest witnessed the intervention of the security to separate the two sides by installing iron barriers to prevent clashes or violence.

Taboubi: How will we get out of the exceptional situation within a constitutional framework?

The Secretary-General of the Labour Union, Noureddine Taboubi, said in a statement to Mosaique after supervising the day of anger at the General University of the Tunis Telecom Complex, that Tunisia is at a crossroads and a difficult situation at all levels, and a discourse that unites Tunisians around contents and options must be addressed “we do not want our country to become divided to two or three parts, we want one people in our country, whatever the differences, and the president of the republic always confirms that he respects the constitution, so what will be the way out within a constitutional framework of the exceptional situation that is harmful to the economy and everything that is social, and that the current situation is witnessing a disruption in the activation of agreements, and the disruption of social negotiations. The rise in prices and the deterioration of purchasing power to an unprecedented level, requires real national unity around a clear and explicit national project. Enough of insults, cursing, division and rivalries. It is necessary to respect the positions and every party knows its limits. Cursing, slander, defamation and demagoguery will not advance Tunisia, but will harm it and lead us to a quagmire. It is indispensable, and we bet on awareness of political morals, political reason and national responsibility in order to build tomorrow’s Tunisia within a national participatory framework in which clarity, honesty and frankness.”

No one listens to kais Saied: The exceptional measures will continue… and transitional provisions have been put in place

During a speech directly from Sidi Bouzid, Kais Saied stressed that the exceptional measures will continue, “transitional provisions have been established, a Chief Of Government will be appointed, but the transitional provisions respond to the demands of the people, and that a new electoral law will be drawn up so that the deputy is accountable to his constituents, and that the provisions related to rights The freedoms stipulated in the constitution will remain in effect, and no one will be able to seize your freedom, and that sovereignty is for the people.”

Issuance of the Presidential Order on Extraordinary Measures (Document)

A presidential decree No. 117 dated September 22nd , 2021 was issued in the Official Gazette relating to a number of exceptional measures

Libya

الخلافات الدولية حول الملف الليبي تأثر على عمل بعثة الامم المتحدة للدعم في ليبيا، والخارجية الامريكية تواصل علمها 

The Russian Foreign Ministry described the reports, published by some media outlets, about Russia obstructing the work of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, as false leaks, and spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said during a press conference: “ the UN’s security council approved the technical extension of the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya until September 30, in this context, we drew attention to the reports published in some media about the alleged obstruction by Russia of the work of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. This lying leak’s source are the western countries whose unconstructive positions prohibited the members of the United Nations Security Council to reach a decision on the criteria for the long-term work of the mission.” She pointed out that Russia unswervingly stresses the important role of the United Nations and this particular mission in pushing the Libyan settlement forward, and that the adopted resolution aims to give all parties the possibility to reach a common understanding of the mission’s work in the upcoming, not easy stage of the political process in this country.

The Head of the Libyan Interim Government of National Unity, Abdel Hamid al-Dabaiba, received the US State Department’s advisor, Derek H. Chollet, and the US envoy to Libya, Richard Norland. Prior to his visit to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, Chollet met with the Tunisian Foreign Minister in Tunis, where they “discussed regional and international support for the Libyan national elections scheduled for December 24, and the implementation of the ceasefire agreement that was reached last October in various parts of Libya.”

In a dramatic turn of events in Libya, the House of Representatives announces the withdrawal of confidence from the Interim Government of National Unity

0 Vote
out of 113 deputies who attended that session, according to the council’s official spokesman

The Presidency of the House of Representatives surprised the Libyan scene by announcing the withdrawal of confidence from the Interim Government of National Unity headed by Abdel Hamid al-Dabaiba, and considering it a “caretaker” government, about 3 months before the presidential elections scheduled for next December 24. The withdrawal of confidence from the government raises legal problems regarding the quorum of the vote, and a political one, which observers considered a challenge to the efforts of the United Nations towards reaching the elections’ merit. The vote of the council members to withdraw confidence came in a closed session, with a majority of 89 votes out of 113 deputies who attended that session, according to the council’s official spokesman, who added in a later statement. He indicated that “11 deputies submitted a request to count them by voting with the withdrawal of confidence” without attending the session for various reasons. However, he noted that their votes were not counted.

A categorical rejection of the decision of the House of Representatives internally, and deputies announce that they did not vote on the resolution

Immediately, the Supreme Council of State rejected the confidence-withdrawal measures, noting, in the words of the parliament’s spokesman, that “it considers them invalid for violating the constitutional declaration and the political agreement, and everything that results from it is considered invalid, but analysts and parliamentarians point to legal problems regarding the quorum of voting by approval and the number of representatives present”. We learned from sources inside Parliament that the attendance in the session did not exceed 70 members. Meanwhile, 38 deputies from those present at the recall session announced that they would issue a statement confirming their rejection of the decision. Member Abdel Moneim Balkour said, “I did not vote to withdraw confidence from the government because there were no real reasons for it that would require me to do so. We agreed during yesterday’s session to form committees to monitor the work of the government, and today we were surprised by the vote of no confidence, which plunged the country into a crisis.” As for MP Marj Suleiman Soiker, he indicated that the no-confidence move is “an illegal and unconstitutional step that the parliament categorically rejects.” Stressing the need to adhere to a vote of 120 votes to withdraw confidence, MP Ibrahim Karnfouda also considered that “what happened is in violation of the internal regulations of the House of Representatives, which clarifies that the vote should be secret and not by raising hands.”

The national unity government was formed last March under the supervision of the United Nations to manage the transitional period leading up to the upcoming legislative and presidential elections on December 24. International media outlets reacted to the decision to withdraw confidence. Agence France-Presse described the decision as “a new blow to the peace efforts supported by the United Nations.” Reuters said that this vote “highlights the bickering between factions and competing government bodies that are plaguing UN-backed efforts to resolve the crisis in Libya since ten years, by appointing a government and holding general elections.

After the decision to withdraw confidence from the government, the Prime Minister of the Interim Government of National Unity, Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, attended the universities’ five-a-side football championship in the city of Al-Zawiya, accompanied by the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and a number of ministers and officials. To reach free and fair elections, he stressed that he “will spare no effort until reaching this historic goal. Libya deserves us to consider all that is bright and positive, which you young people represent, and we have come to confirm our determination to continue what we started with, in order to save the country, and hopefully uniting the people, and to expel the threat of war forever.” He also called for” a mass marche in the Martyrs’ Square in the capital, Tripoli, next Friday. And all the cities of Libya are in this field.”

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya calls for refraining from any action that could undermine the electoral process and focus on completing the constitutional and legislative framework for the December 24 elections

Commenting on the withdrawal of confidence from the government of Dabaiba, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya said in a statement that it “has received with concern reports that the House of Representatives has withdrawn confidence from the Government of National Unity, and confirmed that the current Government of National Unity remains the legitimate government until it is replaced by another government through Regular post-election process”. The Special Envoy and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Jan Kubis, confirmed that the mission had expected that the House of Representatives’ efforts would focus on finalizing the parliamentary elections law, and that the Council’s leadership would strengthen its efforts towards building broad consensus on the framework. The mission urged the Parliament to complete work on the Parliamentary Elections Law within the next week at the latest, and called on the Parliament and all relevant institutions and political actors to focus on completing the preparation of the constitutional and legislative framework for the December 24 elections, and to refrain from Any action that could undermine the electoral process and the country’s unity, security and stability.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights observatory accuses the Libyan authorities of detaining hundreds of Moroccan migrants in inhumane conditions and calls on the Libyan and Moroccan authorities to cooperate effectively

In a statement, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory accused the Libyan authorities of detaining hundreds of Moroccan migrants in inhumane conditions without legal justification for months, after they were held in prisons and detention centres without providing them with the necessary health care, food or clean drinking water according to report by the British “Middle East Eye” website. It also pointed out that the centers lack the minimum conditions that protect detainees from contracting diseases, and that a number of them have been infected with the Coronavirus, and the statement of the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory quoted the testimony of Al-Aweni Muhammad, the father of Mustafa, who is 23 years old and who was arrested in April, At a Libyan border guard checkpoint. He says in his testimony: “He called us to inform us that he was being held in Daraj detention camp with many other Moroccan immigrants, and described the conditions as very difficult in terms of lack of food, water and hygiene, as well as the outbreak of the Corona virus among the detainees.

For his part, Youssef Salam, a legal expert with the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory, said that “the Libyan government is obligated, in accordance with relevant international conventions and norms, to treat these detainees with dignity, and to enable them to obtain their basic rights, and that the Moroccan government should actively cooperate with the Libyan authorities to end the suffering of detainees Hundreds of families, who are always worried about the fate of their children. “

Epidemiological situation

The National Centre for Disease Control announced the registration of 1,038 new cases of the novel Coronavirus, the recovery of 1208 patients , while 16 others died, according to the center’s statement on its Facebook page. The percentage of new infections reached 19% of the total 5,442 samples that were conducted as 4404 of them turned out to be negative, bringing the total number of infections to 333.064 cases, including 79.204 active infections, 249.327 recoveries, and 4533 deceased, since the epidemic began in the country in March of last year.

With regard to the latest developments in the spread of the virus in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya :
Last update : 23/09/2021 - 15:00

This post is also available in: Arabic

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