EgyptAir hostages home safe as Russia delays resuming flights

The new Arab

The drama of Tuesday's EgyptAir hijacking has continued with Egyptian hostages returning back to Egypt after their ordeal and with the "unstable" hijacker due in a Cypriot court.

Meanwhile, security at Egypt's airports has received further scrutiny from Russian officials, who have announced a delay of resumption of flights to Egypt suspended since a Russian jetliner was blown up over Sinai in October.

The hijacking saga came to a peaceful end on Tuesday afternoon, after an Egyptian hijacker diverted a plane, originally travelling from Alexandria to Cairo, to Cyprus demanding to see his ex-wife, sparking a dramatic six-hour standoff.

He had claimed to have explosives strapped to his waist but none were discovered. He then gave himself up at Larnaca airport and was arrested.

On Tuesday evening, all the Egyptian hostages and air cabin crewreturned safely to Egypt, where they were greeted at Cairo airport by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail.

"There was panic at the beginning, but the crew told us to be quiet. They did a good job to keep us all quiet so the hijacker wouldn't do anything rash," passenger Farah al-Dabani told the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV in a telephone interview.

	The hijacker gave the victory sign to journalists [Getty]

She added that the hijacker was seated in the back of the aircraft and that it was the crew who told passengers that the plane was being hijacked.

Meanwhile, the hijacker was remanded into police custody for eight days during his first court appearance on Wednesday.

Police told the court in Larnaca that 58-year-old Egyptian Seif al-Din Mostafa faces possible charges of hijacking, kidnapping people with the aim of taking them to an unknown destination, reckless and threatening behaviour and offences that breach the anti-terror law.

As Mostafa left in a police car, he gave the victory sign to journalists attending the hearing at the courthouse, which is less than a kilometre away from Larnaca airport where the hijacking unfolded.

Cyprus authorities have described Mostafa as "psychologically unstable" and said the case was not "terrorism-related".

The incident has brought back to the fore questions of security at Egyptian airports, five months after a Russian aircraft was blown up over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula

Egypt's airport security questioned

The incident has brought back to the fore questions of security at Egyptian airports, five months after a Russian aircraft was blown up over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula minutes after it took off from Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh.

All 224 people on board were killed in the crash. Islamic state group militants have claimed they smuggled a bomb on board.

Russian authorities have ruled out an early resumption of flights to Egyptian tourist destinations in light of the hijacking, after links were cut following the downing of the plane.

The Kremlin's spokesperson Dimitry Peskov said that a full investigation into the events must be made before determining whether to restore or hold-off flights.

"This is a very sensitive and serious case. Guaranteeing the safety of Russians is our priority," Peskov added.

Oleg Safonov, head of the Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation, said the hijacking must be taken into account when determining whether to restore flights.

Russian parliamentarian Franz Klintsevich echoed Russian concerns, saying talks must be put on hold in light of the hijacking, as Egyptians are not ready to ensure the security of Russian tourists.

Egyptian tourism authorities, however, have denied "media reports" that Moscow was backing out of resuming flights as a result of the incident.

Love Story Ended with Joining ISIS

Mahmoud Aladdin ,an Egyptian man got married to a Swiss woman ,called  Francesca Astadelman.They lived a happy life.They met in France  while he was studying at the American University there, for nearly 7 years.She converted to Islam three months after their return to Cairo where they lived in Rehab city  and put birth to a baby boy, "Adam”. She used to travel to Switzerland every year to visit her family. After fights between them, they got divorce.

Mahmoud used to see his son from time to time till he was surprised of their disappear.”I knew that my ex-wife joined ISIS and abducted my son with her”,said Mahmoud.

“I went to New Cairo police station and filed a complaint accused my ex-wife of joining Daesh, and heading to Iraq” ,he added.He accused her of  adopting  jihadist ideas, where she  began to be more extremist  and following  terrorist organizations websites  , especially al-Qaeda .”She started reading jihad books for "Anwar al-Awlaki," a Yemeni-American, prominent leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen” he said. She began to  prohibit watching television ,listening to the songs and wore the niqab.

“She considered me and my family as disbelievers and stopped visiting us” ,said  he.Problems  erupted between her and the family  after her call for  them to adopt jihadist ideas and join ISIS, that led Mahmoud  to report to the security services to carry out the necessary investigations.

He pointed out that, following their separation, he kept visiting his son weekly in her apartment. “December 26,was my son’s birthday and the last day to see him” said he.

 “The following day I called her to check on my son, but her phone was off that lasted for two days that worried me” said Mahmoud.He went to the her house to check on them and was surprised of her absence. the neighbors assured him that she  sold the contents of the house that  continued for more than two months, which led him to file a complaint  number 8524 at New Cairo police station.

Its noteworthy that a lot of European flee from families to join ISIS and other jihadi groups that led a lot of these countries to monitor citizens traveling to countries like Turkey and other countries in the Middle East .

The number of Europeans joining Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq has risen to more than 3,000, the EU's anti-terrorism chief has said in an interview with BBC.

Mr de Kerchove said the number of 3,000 included all those who have been to the region, including those who have returned and those who have been killed there.

The CIA estimates that IS may have up to 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria - three times as many as previously feared.

Mahmoud is in Greece now ,where he got information that his wife  and son was arrested there while trying to leave from Greece to Turkey to be able to travel to join ISIS. 

Egypt to try 9 policemen for death in custody

AFP, CairoThursday, 10 December 2015

Egypt on Thursday ordered nine policemen to stand trial for the beating to death of a man in custody, prosecutors said, after authorities vowed a crackdown on police abuses.

The nine, including three lieutenants and a captain, were arrested last week as part of a probe into the death of the 47-year-old at a police station in the southern city of Luxor in November.

Their arrests came amid at least two investigations into deaths in police custody, and after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last week warned that police officers found guilty of "committing mistakes" would be punished.

"The prosecutor general ordered the nine policemen to face a criminal trial," an official at Luxor prosecutor's office told AFP.
He said the start date had yet to be fixed.

The policemen are accused of either participating in the beating, approving it or not preventing it, a judicial official said.

If found guilty, they face a prison term of up to 15 years.

The man had been arrested on November 26 at a cafe in Luxor and taken to the police station where he died an hour later.

A forensic report revealed that he had been beaten on his neck and back, the official MENA news agency reported last week.

Another police officer has been detained in a separate case of a veterinarian who died in police custody last month in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya.

Rights groups regularly accuse Egyptian police and members of the secret police of abusing and torturing detainees.

Police abuses under former president Hosni Mubarak were a key factor for the 2011 uprising that led to his ouster.

One of the triggers of the revolt was the killing of a young man, Khaled Saeed, who was arrested in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and tortured to death by policemen.

Saeed's death galvanized protests against Mubarak after pictures emerged online of the 28-year-old's mangled face.

Egypt was under military rule for 17 months after Mubarak's overthrow and the police kept a low profile.

Islamist Mohamed Mursi then became Egypt's first freely elected leader but was overthrown by then-army chief Sisi in 2013, who has launched a brutal crackdown on Mursi's supporters.

Egypt court orders retrial of brotherhood head, 36 others

Mohamed Badie, head of Muslim Brotherhood, along with thousands of other members have been jailed in a crackdown on the group. (File photo: AP)

AFP, Cairo Thursday, 3 December 2015
Egypt’s top court on Thursday ordered a retrial of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie, overturning a death sentence for Islamist protest violence, a judicial official and a lawyer said.

Thirty-six co-defendants who were condemned to death or life in prison by a lower court will be retried along with Badie, who has also been sentenced to death in a different case.

They had been found guilty of plotting unrest from an “operations room” in a Cairo protest camp in the months after the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

The convictions were appealed before the Court of Cassation, which on Thursday overturned them and ordered a retrial.

“The ruling concerns all 37 defendants who are behind bars. Twelve of them including Badie had been sentenced to death” by the lower court, defence lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsud told AFP.

Badie’s co-defendants include U.S.-Egyptian citizen Mohamed Soltan, who had been sentenced to life in prison.

Soltan was deported in May under a presidential decree stipulating that foreigners convicted in Egypt can be sent back to their home countries.

The lower court had accused the group of organizing unrest and protests backing Morsi, a senior Brotherhood figure who was himself sentenced to death in a separate case.

The sprawling Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp in Cairo was dispersed by police on August 14, 2013 in a 12-hour operation that left hundreds of pro-Morsi protesters and about 10 policemen dead.

The crackdown followed weeks of failed European and U.S.-brokered negotiations with the Brotherhood, which was demanding Morsi’s return to office.

The Islamist was the country’s first freely elected president, but he ruled for only a year before the army toppled him, spurred by massive protests demanding his resignation.

The Brotherhood was later declared a “terrorist organisation” by Egypt.

Badie is facing several trials, and has been sentenced to death in a separate case along with Morsi for plotting jailbreaks and attacks on police during the country’s 2011 uprising that ousted ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

The Brotherhood chief has also been handed life sentences - each amounting to 25 years in prison - in five other cases.

Sisi: Egyptian police who commit mistakes to be punished

The Associated Press, CairoThursday, 3 December 2015
Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi says police officers who commit mistakes will be punished, after rising criticism of police in domestic media following the deaths of three people in police custody last month.

Sisi’s speech at a police academy was broadcast live on national TV.

Police brutality was one of the main grievances of protesters in the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

The death of Talaat Shabib al-Rashidi in Luxor, while in police custody sparked riots in the southern city, while in the port city of Ismailia, anger erupted following the death of a pharmacist who had quarreled with a police officer.

In the Nile Delta province of Qalyoubiya, police officials are investigating claims that a man was tortured to death by a police officer.

Tarek Khalil, a Muslim Brotherhood member, went missing in June and his body was returned to his family with signs of torture after he was kidnapped by security forces.

Amnesty International has condemned what it termed an “entrenched impunity and a near total lack of accountability for abuses” among Egypt’s security forces.

Israel threatens to attack militants in Sinai if needed

A senior Israeli army officer has threatened to attack the Islamic State affiliate, Sinai Province, if they were to attack Israeli citizens and soldiers.

"If the Sinai Province tried to target our citizens and soldiers, we will make sure we hit them forcefully and decisively," said Brigadier General Royi Elcabets.

The commander was quoted on Wednesday by Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee, who posted the remarks on his Facebook page. The statement was made during a military ceremony marking the transfer of command from Elcabets to Rafi Miloa, the new head of the southern Adom formation.

"There have been significant changes on the other side of the border that require us to be ready for any scenario or downslide, and to continue securing our southern area," the new commander added.

Based in the Sinai Peninsula, the Sinai Province (Waliyat Sinai) pledged allegiance to the Islamist State group in November 2014.

The group is known for claiming responsibility for Egypt's deadliest and bloodiest attacks in Sinai last July.

Earlier this month, 21 soldiers were killed during simultaneous militant assaults on army checkpoints in the North Sinai towns of Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah, an attack that prompted days-long fighting between troops and insurgents and left over 200 militants dead.

The group also claimed responsibility in July for a rocket attack launched from the Sinai Peninsula into southern Israel.
 

Diplomatic efforts being made to release fishermen: Egypt's envoy to Sudan

Diplomatic efforts are being made between Egypt and Sudan in order to release 101 Egyptian fisherman detained in Sudan for territorial breaches, Egypt's ambassador to Sudan, Osama Shaltout, confirmed to state news agency MENA on Thursday.

The fishermen were supposed to be released following their acquittal last week, but the Sudanese authorities reversed their decision and ordered that they be detained and retried, MENA reported.

“We trust the integrity of the Sudanese judiciary, and we are sure that the fishermen will be acquitted by the judiciary just like they were acquitted the first time,” Shaltout said.

The fishermen were bound for Eritrea, had the necessary permits and never intended to fish in Sudanese waters, according to Shaltout.  

The 101 fishermen were arrested on 7 April and detained in the coastal city of Port Sudan.

Shaltout said that the embassy in Sudan has made significant attempts since the first day of the fisherman's arrest to have them released. It has also worked with the consulate in Port Sudan to follow closely on the litigation process, along with providing care for the fishermen and helped them communicate with their relatives in Egypt.

Earlier in July, families of the detained fishermen, mainly from the Nile Delta governorate of Daqahliya, staged protests to demand the authorities press for the fishermen’s release. Many of the men are the main providers for their families.

Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Aty told MENA that the foreign ministry has been working in collaboration with the ministry of insurance and social affairs in order to distribute urgent aid for family members of the detained fishermen.

However, the head of an Egyptian fisherman's syndicate Nessim Badr El-Deen told Ahram Online on Monday that the arrests were made for political reasons and that he blames Egyptian authorities for not taking the case seriously.

"The families of the detained and I spoke several times with Sameh Shoukry and the answer is always 'we are following up on the matter,' and, as usual, nothing happened," he said.

This is not the first time that Sudan has arrested Egyptian fishermen for territorial breaches.

In September 2012, Sudan released a number of Egyptian fishermen in exchange for Sudanese miners held in Egyptian jails.

The foreign ministry issued several statements in 2015 warning fishermen against illegal trespassing in foreign waters and called on them to respect other states’ sovereignty. 

Egypt and Saudi Arabia lead Arab security: El-Sisi

Challenges in the Arab region can only be overcome with Egypt and Saudi Arabia cooperating hand-in-hand, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said Thursday.

El-Sisi told graduating students of the Egyptian Military Academy at a ceremony also attended by Saudi Defence Minister Mohammed Bin Salman, who is visiting Cairo, that Egypt and Saudi Arabia are the "wings of Arab national security."

He described Bin Salman's presence at the ceremony as a "strong message" to Egypt and Saudi Arabia's respective peoples, and to Gulf countries, that both governments enjoy close cooperation.  

"You will not see us but together," he said.

El-Sisi commented on "highly difficult regional circumstances," saying they require "security vigilance and extra effort."

Salman, who is also Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince and second deputy prime minister, is expected to sit with El-Sisi and Egyptian top officials to discuss bilateral and regional relations.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been close allies since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia have denied reports of tensions between Cairo and Riyadh after the new Saudi monarch, King Salman Ibn Abdel Aziz, came to power. After the chief of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Khaled Meshal, visited the kingdom last week and met with King Salman, reports about rising tension between Cairo and Riyadh again surfaced. Relations between Cairo and Hamas soured following Morsi's ouster.

The oil-rich Saudi kingdom is allegedly making efforts to reduce tensions with Muslim Brotherhood allies. These efforts are reportedly being made to counter the influence of Iran, the kingdom's arch rival in the region.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri met with his Saudi counterpart in Riyadh last week where both officials asserted continued cooperation between their governments.

Next week, US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Egyptian and Gulf leaders for talks on the recent nuclear deal with Iran in addition to developments in confronting Islamic State (IS) group militants in the region.  

Kerry will visit Cairo Sunday before he heads the following day to Doha to meet with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders.

Local affairs

El-Sisi also addressed local affairs in his speech to graduating military students.

He announced that the long-delayed Egyptian parliament will be elected before the end of 2015.

In March, the High Constitutional Court ruled that some articles in Egyptian elections legislation were unconstitutional, delaying the scheduled elections process.

The government has been delegated with amending the law in question and resubmitting it for approval.

Egypt has been without parliament since 2012. The president holds legislative powers until the election of a new House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, El-Sisi also congratulated the students on graduation and joining Egypt's police and military forces.

He added that the role of military graduates is not more important than graduates of civil studies, adding that "true development" requires science, technology and intellectual movements.

Egypt court adjourns Al Jazeera retrial for ninth time

An Egyptian court has adjourned the long-running retrial of three Al Jazeera journalists for the ninth time, with the next hearing scheduled for August 2.

Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian Baher Mohamed, and Canadian Mohamed Fahmy were found guilty in June 2014 of aiding a terrorist organisation, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed in Egypt after the army overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Greste and Fahmy received seven years, while Mohamed was given 10 years.

In January, an appeals court ordered a retrial, saying the initial verdict lacked evidence against the three journalists working for the Doha-based network's English channel.

The journalists and Al Jazeera have vigorously denied the accusations.

Following Thursday's adjournment, Dr Mostefa Souag, Al Jazeera Media Network's Acting Director General, said: "We are outraged that the verdict has been adjourned as today was meant to be the final court hearing for our colleagues.

"We, along with others, expected a swift end to the ordeal for Baher Mohamed, Mohamed Fahmy, and Peter Greste.

"All three men have been under immense stress and pressure for the past nineteen months and delaying the final verdict has just continued the strain on them and their families.

"We demand the Egyptian authorities bring an end to the charges against Baher, Peter and Mohamed which should be dropped immediately. Journalism is not a crime."

Greste has already been deported to his native Australia under a law allowing the transfer of foreigners on trial to their home countries but he is still being retried in absentia.

'Really difficult'

"It is really difficult for us, we all thought this was going to be the day. We have seen so many unexpected twists and turns in this trial," Greste said from Sydney after Thursday's announcement.

"The only thing that any of us is concerned about is this verdict. It is the thing that will define our lives. We cannot make any plans or even think of travelling."

Fahmy and Mohamed had been on bail ahead of the retrial after spending more than 400 days in detention.

Fahmy renounced his Egyptian nationality hoping he too would be deported like Greste.

The three men have received support from governments, media organisations and rights groups from around the world.

The European People's Party (EPP) issued a letter of support earlier this month signed by members of the European Parliament from across the political spectrum and countries.

Source: Al Jazeera

Their Dog and ours

The Egyptian media and human rights advocates and organizations kept talking the incident of the Egyptian dog ,known as "Ahram street dog",and there were a lot of statements to condemen the killing of the dog.The Egyptian judiciary turned those who killed the dog to misdeamonr court inspite they claimed that the dog was killed becuase it bite a lot of people and was not normal.

Last Sunday, Security forces stormed Nahia village,in Giza ,one of the villages well known for its support for the ousted president Sayed Mohamed Morsi,and stormed the house of Mohamed Sharawy and killed him and his dog that tried to defend him.

 Wife of Sharaway said that big number of security forces raided the house late Sunday night, and shot her husband on different parts of his body, until he died.

The wife said in a phone call to Raba TV channel that policemen threw her husband 's body on the house stairs and prevented the family from watching him .Also,police men  threatened them with weapons, amid crying children, noting that they beat the corpse  and kicking with feet.

 Sharawy's wife denied that her husband shot the police, the security forces, stressing that they shot him immediately once they stormed the house and killed him into killing him.

On the other hand   Interior ministry  issued a statement and said that Sharaway   

the defendant is wanted in the in case No. 124/2014 ,Kerdasa Criminals with the charge of creating “riots during the referendum on the constitution”.after the coordination with the Giza Security Directorate ,house of the defendant has been targeted to arrest him, but he fired  the security  where security forces shot him in reply to his action that resulted in his death where security forces found the used weapon  in addition to  9 mm pistol was stolen from a police station since January 2011.

At the moment the Egyptian media say that Sharaway is a criminal and belonging the terrorist group of the Muslims Brotherhood and no talk about his dog that was shot in the head like his owner.

Steel tycoon refused application for 2015 parliament

By:Amira El-Fekki 
Daily News Egypt

The Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) found controversial steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz’s application to run in the 2015 parliament incomplete regarding financial documents on Sunday morning.

The SEC therefore refused the application for the prominent figure under former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, a move which made quickly made news headlines.

Ezz is still involved in a pending retrial in a case in which he is accused of illicit gains through a seizure of the shares of Ezz Dekheila Steel Company. He did not face any obstacles in applying due to his legal status, since he has not been charged. However, he failed to submit a bank statement, as per legal requirements.

The SEC’s conditions to apply for the elections stated that each candidate must open a bank account for the electoral money transfers, which in Ezz’s case has been frozen.

According to a 2011 prosecution order freezing Ezz’s assets, he is unable to freely manage expenses. The ban reportedly also applies to his wife Shahinaz El-Naggar, also an active politician and potential candidate for the 2015elections.

There have been no reports however regarding the refusal of El-Naggar’s application, as she is running as an independent representing the Manial and Old Cairo constituency. The Cairo district has two available parliamentary seats. El-Naggar’s electoral campaign has been ongoing mainly through a campaign promoting solving and improving citizens’ medical services.

Ezz submitted his application hoping to represent the Sadat constituency, the largest district in the governorate of Menufiya, among widespread publiccontroversy. The constituency will have one representative member in the parliament, elected as an individual, either as an independent candidate, or as part of a political party.

The Free Egyptians Party (FEP), led by business tycoon Naguib Sawiris, has vowed to escalate competition against members of the former National Democratic Party (NDP), backing up Samy El-Mashad, a 53-yar-old pharmacist.

Mahmoud Reesh, FEP’s candidate for the constituency of Menuf, the capital of Menufiya, expressed his satisfaction regarding Ezz’s rejected candidacy. He added that local residents were also happy to hear the news, in comments to Daily News Egypt on Sunday.

The party had also sought to back up candidates running against El-Naggar. An inside source previously informed Daily News Egypt, on condition of anonymity, that FEP could even back  popular singer Mostafa Kamel, if that means destabilising El-Naggar’s position.

FEP’s candidates, including senior party member Emad Gad, who joined the party ahead of the parliamentary elections, happens to be a major candidate and spokesperson for the electoral coalition “For the Love of Egypt”.

The coalition, led by former military official Sameh Seif El-Yazal is believed to be informally backed by the government, as it includes several old-regime figures and security men. It is also derived from a project initially suggested by former prime minister Kamal El-Ganzoury.

On the other hand, rivalry for that district in particular, and for Menufiya, also includes Salafi Al-Nour Party candidates, namely university professor Gehad Abdel Zaher, who represents the party’s secretariat in the Sadat district.

According to senior party member Salaah Abdel Maaboud, also a Menufiya candidate, he was also happy with Ezz’s exclusion, but said he felt positive about Al-Nour’s competition in the district, affirming that Abdel Zaher’s winning chances are high.

Ezz can file an official appeal against his rejection, as the SEC and the Administrative Court are expected to look into all appeals concerning candidates within two days from announcing the final list of accepted candidates Sunday.

“I expected that Ezz would be rejected, but that is not an issue in itself, because there has been a lot of fuss about his candidacy, despite that frankly speaking he is not the worst of corrupted politicians running for the parliament,” said AB, a citizen in Menufiya who supports the Muslim Brotherhood, and will not vote in the elections.

Reesh told Daily News Egypt that one of the candidates competing in the Sadat district represents the “hidden face of the Muslim Brotherhood”. He said that they are seeking to go back to political life, following a wide crackdown since July 2013.

Cabinet approves law allowing judges to skip witnesses

Egypt’s cabinet approved a presidential draft law amending criminal procedure code articles, allowing judges the freedom whether to summon or not witnesses to testify.

Amendments to Articles 277 and 289 of the code gives the courts absolute power in summoning witnesses to testify, without supervision, as the courts provide fair justice, according to the cabinet statement Wednesday.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) issued a statement condemning the draft law as “an addition to a big chain of laws that are excessive in wasting freedoms and citizens’ rights since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi”.

The statement compared the draft law, approved by the cabinet but yet to receive final presidential approval, together with laws such “the protest law, the judicial confiscation law, the extension of pre-trial detention periods law and the foreign defendants’ deportation law”. These list among other laws that not only antagonises freedoms but also clearly violates articles of the Egyptian Constitution.

Executive director of ANHRI, Gamal Eid, told Daily News Egypt that the government’s apparent reason for approving these amendments is to prevent prolonging lawsuits.

He also said the blame for prolonged procedures for lawsuits falls on the judiciary and prosecution, noting the case of photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, also known as Shawkan, who has so far spent more than 550 days in detention without trial.

Eid added that the new draft law “not only conflicts with the constitution and binding international agreements but it also destroys the idea of justice at its roots.”

Eid said there are two ways to counter the government’s latest move – through appealing the constitutionality of the law or waiting for a fairly representative parliament to reverse these amendments.

“The other way is political countering through pressure and exposure of such violations,” He added.

Eid believes the approval of such draft law is unprecedented, “even in more rooted autocracies we didn’t see that, not even with Saddam Hussein”.

The human rights situation in Egypt is dire, according to Nasser Amin, Head of The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) and member of the National Council on Human Rights (NCHR).

Amin added that the government should not use the “war on terrorism” as an excuse to commit human rights violations or issue exceptional laws. He explained that international standards apply, even in the midst of a war on terrorism.

Another Black night in the History of the Egyptian football

The clashes between security and Ultras White Knights resilted in the killings of more than 22 persons and many of the casualties ,before Zamalek vs Enppi football match yesterday, in the 21st week of the Egyptian league .
Zamalek fans had tried to enter yesterday game stadium "air defense" , but  security refused  because those fans didnt have tickets to the game, that was sold in designated ports.
A security source in the Interior Ministry assured , that the security follow-ups observed large numbers of ultras white knights coming air defense Stadium, to attend a football match between  Zamalek and ENPPI, without getting tickets to enter the game, and tried to storm the stadium gates by force, which called the security forces to prevent them from entering the  stadium and destroying the stadium facilities.
Zamalek club officials sent a formal letter to the football Federation , disclaims any liability for the riots which broke out from the Ultras White Knights, and the security forces outside the air defense Stadium, blaming the federation themselves.
In contrast,the football federation refused Zamalek speech , and a source confirmed at the Federation assured that Zamalek Club received 10 thousand  tickets for the match, and the fans that existed didnt reach that number  ,wondering  about the fate of the rest of the tickets, and stressing that zamalek's hiding the tickets  caused this crisis.
In the same context, the  Football federation Management, announced the postponement of Al-Ahly and Zamalek match in the league , sectors born in 95, which was scheduled to be held tomorrow, because of the events that took place between security and the White Knights as dozens were killed and injured .there is strong trends to postpone the league for unlimited time.

Peter Greste: Al-Jazeera journalist 'freed by Egypt'

Jailed al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste is being deported from Egypt, the state news agency and police say.

The Australian ex-BBC correspondent was arrested in December 2013 and imprisoned last June on charges including spreading false news.

There is no word on the two al-Jazeera men who were jailed with him, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed.

All of the defendants denied the charges against them and have said their trial was a sham.

They were accused of collaborating with the banned Muslim Brotherhood after the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi by the military in 2013.

The three men said they were simply reporting the news.

Egypt's top court had in January ordered a retrial of the three men.

But an Egyptian official told Agence France-Presse news agency on Sunday: "There is a presidential decision to deport Peter Greste to Australia."

Al-Jazeera has demanded the release of its journalists ever since they were arrested.

Mr Fahmy holds Egyptian and Canadian citizenship and is the Egyptian-Canadian bureau chief.

Mr Mohamed, a producer, is an Egyptian national.

Mr Greste and Mr Fahmy were sentenced to seven years, while Mr Mohamed is serving 10.

Egypt military targeted in deadly Sinai attacks

At least 26 people, mostly soldiers, have been killed in a series of attacks by Islamist militants in the north of Egypt's Sinai peninsula.

Most of the casualties were in the provincial capital, El-Arish.

Militant group Sinai Province, which changed its named from Ansar Beit al-Maqdis when it pledged allegiance to Islamic State, said it carried out the "extensive, simultaneous" attacks.

Egypt's president cut short a visit to Ethiopia because of the attacks.

They represent some of the worst anti-government violence in Egypt for months, and indicate a previously unseen level of co-ordination, correspondents and analysts say.

The US condemned the attacks, saying it remained "steadfast in its support of the Egyptian government's efforts to combat the threat of terrorism".

Insurgents have intensified attacks since Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted in 2013.

Tensions have also been raised across Egypt this week amid protests marking the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that ousted then-leader Hosni Mubarak.

Security officials said rockets were first fired at police offices, a military base and a military hotel in El-Arish, before a car bomb exploded at the rear gate of the military base. Several army checkpoints in the city were also targeted.

Newspaper al-Ahram said its El-Arish office - which is opposite the hotel and base - had been completely destroyed.

Four soldiers were wounded in an attack at a checkpoint outside El-Arish and an army major was later shot dead at a checkpoint in Rafah, medical and security sources said.

More than 50 people were wounded in Thursday's attacks.

North Sinai has been under a state of emergency and a curfew since October, when an attack on a checkpoint killed dozens of soldiers.

The army has launched major operations to try to quell violence in the region, but has so far failed.

Sinai Province has become the biggest threat, staging many attacks on security targets.

The group, which was originally inspired by al-Qaeda but pledged allegiance to Islamic State in November 2014, has called on Egyptians to rebel against President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.

President Sisi is the former military chief who led the crackdown on Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood has said it rejects violence.

Egypt is creating a 1km (0.6-mile) buffer zone along the border with Gaza in a bid to stop militants smuggling weapons in from the Palestinian territory using tunnels.

The project has displaced more than 1,000 families in Rafah and severed an economic lifeline for many Palestinians.

28 January 2011: Egypt’s Decisive Day

28 January 2011 marked a turning point in Egyptian history. On that day, anti-Mubarak demonstrations escalated their protests, engaging in violent confrontations with police forces all over the country. Protesters surrounded police stations, and police forces opened fire, killing many.

Reports mentioning deaths only reinvigorated the demonstrations, leading protesters to directly attack police stations and target officers. Outnumbered, police forces withdrew from their positions, leading to widespread looting, acts of thuggery, and hundreds of deaths.

Police stations were targeted because they were seen a symbol of police brutality and regime corruption. Since then and until today, the government has been campaigning for a different image for police forces. Slogans such as “the police are in the service of the people”, and “police and the people are one hand” are constantly used in pro-government propaganda and in posters on the streets.

However, local and international human rights organisations continue to condemn the Egyptian security forces for their brutality and torture of civilians in police stations and prisons.

18 deaths on the fourth anniversary of the January 25 revolution

The Health Ministry announced 18 deaths on the fourth anniversary of the January 25 revolution, 16 of which occurred in clashes between protesters and police in Matareya, Haram and Alexandria. 

At least 52 were injured nationwide, including five police officers.

An Interior Ministry spokesperson told the state-owned Middle East News Agency that 150 protesters were arrested across the country. The ministry claimed many were supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, according to the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper. 

Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated social media accounts posted pictures of bloody-faced protesters, asserting that the casualties were peaceful demonstrators attacked by police forces.

The Interior Ministry announced the killing of an armed man in Alexandria earlier on Sunday, who they claimed was one of two civilians using automatic weapons to shoot randomly at protesters.

The Middle East News Agency reported the death of two people who they said were attempting to install a bomb at an electricity tower in Beheira.

Clashes broke out in downtown Cairo between dozens of protesters and a group of civilians in front of the Journalists Syndicate on Sunday afternoon. Police forces dispersed protesters and began to round them up and make a number of arrests.

A Mada Masr reporter said a march left from the syndicate heading down Ramses Street in downtown Cairo. It was a peaceful demonstration, with protesters chanting slogans.

At around 4.30 pm, the march came under attack. Police fired tear gas canisters at demonstrators, while people in civilian clothes threw stones from within and behind police lines.

The reporter witnessed demonstrators being grabbed by police, but was unable to confirm whether or not they were arrested.

Eyewitness Shady Hussein said the clashes started when supporters of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi intervened in the protest and raised posters of the president, throwing rocks at protesters. 

The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) said in a report released Sunday that nine journalists were briefly arrested while covering events. Some of them, including a Dutch journalist, were reportedly assaulted by police forces who confiscated their equipment.

BBC journalist Orla Guerin said security forces threatened to shoot her if she didn't stop filming protests in Ain Shams. Al-Fagr journalist Sarah Hisham was beaten by civilians while covering protests in Ramsis street, and Nader Nabil was shot with pellets in the head and hands, AFTE reported.

Dozens also marched in a protest in Maadi organized by revolutionary forces, which ended peacefully, eyewitnesses recounted.

The Ministry of Interior dispersed protests in October 6 City and Maadi using tear gas, according to several media reports.

Security forces closed off Tahrir Square and dispersed small attempts at protests on its peripheries throughout Sunday. Small groups of pro-Sisi protesters were reportedly asked politely by police to move elsewhere. 

An April 6 Youth Movement spokesperson told privately owned Al-Shorouk newspaper that the movement was planning to commemorate the revolution with marches. He said five members were arrested in downtown on Sunday by officers in civilian clothing.

Amongst the fiercest clashes in Cairo on Sunday were those around the northern district of Matareya. This working-class neighborhood witnessed ongoing violence between opposition forces and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi and police and civilian supporters of President Sisi.

The death toll and number of arrests in Matareya were reported to be amongst the highest in Cairo. 

At around 5 pm, hundreds of protesters reportedly pushed riot police troops out of Matareya Square. Clashes centered around Taawon Street leading up to the square. Photos and videos reveal rock-strewn streets and troops firing tear gas at protesters from armored personnel carriers.

Private media outlets Al-Shorouk, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Veto, and Al-Mogaz reported that Morsi supporters set fire to tires in the square after pushing Central Security Forces back to the nearby Matareya Police Station and sealing off the streets surrounding the square.

Protesters could be heard chanting slogans against Sisi, the police and the Armed Forces.