CAIRO: Accusations of sexual misconduct directed at two prominent human rights lawyers in Egypt — one of them a former presidential hopeful — have roiled the country’s beleaguered civil society, which is already under unrelenting pressure from authorities.
The allegations, directed at former presidential hopeful Khaled Ali and another lawyer, were made in a private email sent by a woman in October that has since been widely shared on social media. Many have cast it as part of the global #MeToo campaign against sexual assault and misconduct, while accusing the activist community of closing ranks to avoid embarrassment.
The woman, currently living in Europe, has declined to give media interviews and has not filed a complaint with authorities. The Associated Press does not publicly identify victims of sexual assault and is not naming the second lawyer because no formal complaint has been made against him.
In the email, the woman alleged that Ali invited her to his downtown Cairo office in 2015 after other employees had gone home. The woman, who had recently quit her job at the rights organization founded and led by Ali, said he offered her a beer before he left to shower next door. When he came back, he asked her personal questions about two of her past relationships, she said.
“I finish the beer and tell him I need to leave because I have an appointment in the morning,” she recounted in the email. “He tries to convince me to stay over and that it’s getting late. I tell him no, I prefer to go,” she wrote. She said she left without further incident.
She said the other lawyer, who specializes in women’s rights, had suggested she spend the night at his place after an evening of heavy drinking at a downtown bar with friends in 2014. She said she took him up on the offer because she was drunk, and that he raped her that night.
She said she has been in therapy to deal with the trauma, and that her email was meant as a warning to women employed by rights groups. Two of her friends, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preserve her privacy, said she told them she decided to break her silence when she learned that Ali planned to run for president.
The lawyer denied the rape allegation in a phone interview with the AP, saying he had “consensual” sex with the woman. In the email, she acknowledged having consensual sex with him after the alleged rape.
Ali responded to the accusations leveled against himself in a Facebook post on Feb. 19, calling them “extremely shocking and surprising.” He said he had ordered his campaign and his Bread and Freedom party to investigate the allegations shortly after they surfaced and had refrained from commenting publicly until the investigation was complete.
The three-person panel of supporters cleared Ali of any wrongdoing but reprimanded him for mixing his personal life with his political work. The accuser questioned the panel’s objectivity and refused to cooperate with it.
“The mere thought that she entertains such thoughts about me and wrote an email reflecting them leaves me with no choice but to offer her an apology for the pain she suffered,” he wrote. “Although the findings of the investigation are in my favor, I must still take some of the blame.”
Ali resigned from his leadership of the party, as well as the rights group he founded. Several telephone calls and messages to Ali seeking comment went unanswered.
Supporters applauded his response, calling it a rare show of accountability in a conservative society where sexual harassment is rampant and sex crimes are rarely acknowledged or prosecuted.
Others say his campaign dodged the allegations while trying to get him on the ballot. Ali declared his intention to run for president in November but quit in January, citing intimidation by authorities. The panel released a summary of its findings after he abandoned his run.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is widely expected to win re-election in the March 26-28 vote after several potential candidates withdrew or were arrested. The only other candidate to make the ballot is a little-known politician who supports Sisi.
Egypt’s civil society, which played a key role in the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak, has been the target of a sweeping crackdown since Sisi led the military overthrow of an elected Islamist president in 2013.
Several prominent activists have been arrested, while others have been banned from travel or had their assets frozen. Their organizations have been subject to draconian restrictions, and pro-government media routinely portray them as depraved agents of hostile foreign powers.
But critics within the rights community say none of that excuses the response to the allegations against Ali.
The “Girls’ Revolution,” a women’s rights group, issued a statement saying Ali’s supporters had not acted quickly enough.
“Although the leadership of the party was informed of the email in November, the campaign went on despite the suspected abuse,” it said.
More than 100 activists, including many women, signed a declaration saying the panel, which was appointed in December, “mirrored the state’s criminal justice system, complete with its deficiencies (and) lack of safety for those who complain.”
It said the handling of the case, like that of allegations against other public figures, was dominated by the “spirit of the clique” — a desire to shield prominent individuals from criticism and protect the international image of civil society groups, many of which received support from abroad before the latest crackdown.
Several prominent women’s rights activists declined to comment on the case.
But Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian writer and activist based in New York, said the response from Ali’s supporters shows that “their revolution is not genuine because the essence of the things we are struggling against remain inside them.”
“The woman who wrote the email deserves much more justice than she has received so far,” she said.
Egypt’s embattled activists face a #MeToo reckoning
Egypt’s embattled activists face a #MeToo reckoning
Algeria guarantees freedom of worship
- While Algerian law guarantees freedom of worship, it declares Islam as the state religion and requires government approval for places of worship and religious leaders
ALGIERS: Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs Youcef Belmehdi insisted on Tuesday that the country protects freedom of worship following criticism from the United States.
“Freedom of worship is guaranteed within the framework of respect for the law,” Belmehdi said at a meeting attended by the Archbishop of Algiers Jean-Paul Vasco and the US ambassador to Algiers Elisabeth Moore Aubin.
“The exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms in our country is guaranteed by the constitution,” he added.
Earlier this year, Washington added Algeria to a watchlist of countries accused of restricting religious freedom, citing the closure of evangelical churches and the criminalization of blasphemy.
The United States said at the time that Algiers was “said the North African country was “engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.”
Vesco, who is French but was granted Algerian citizenship last year, is set to be appointed the first Algerian candidate in 60 years by Pope Francis next week.
The French-born prelate previously served as Bishop of Oran for more than a decade before becoming Archbishop of Algiers in 2021.
While Algerian law guarantees freedom of worship, it declares Islam as the state religion and requires government approval for places of worship and religious leaders.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom said in October Algeria “currently criminalizes blasphemy and restricts religious practice, worship, and observance.”
It also said authorities “continued to close churches and prosecute individuals on religion-based charges, including blasphemy, proselytization, and unauthorized worship.”
“It has also closed nearly all evangelical churches in the country with only one remaining open as of September 2024,” it added.
UN commission warns against placing already struggling Syrians in crossfire again
- Syrian civil war back in spotlight amid largest rebel offensive in years
- ‘Brutality of past years must not be repeated,’ says commission chair
NEW YORK: The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic expressed concerns on Tuesday that the renewed flareup of violence in the country will once again place civilians — already enduring years of war, economic collapse, and the brutality of armed groups and security forces — in the crossfire.
The Syrian civil war has been back in the spotlight since last week, when a coalition of opposition forces launched their largest offensive against the government in years.
They quickly swept through villages outside Aleppo and now say they control much of the city, meeting little resistance as the Syrian military quickly withdrew.
The government’s key ally Russia is conducting airstrikes against rebels who are now fighting the Syrian military in the central city of Hama.
There are reports of civilian casualties, displacements of tens of thousands of people, damage to civilian infrastructure, and interruption in essential services and humanitarian aid.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Monday said: “Syrians have endured the conflict for nearly 14 years. They deserve a political horizon that will deliver a peaceful future — not more bloodshed.”
As hostilities risk spreading across the country, the commission of inquiry urged all parties to the conflict to “strictly” adhere to international law and ensure the protection of civilians.
“We are investigating reported attacks impacting civilian infrastructure in the city of Aleppo, including at least one hospital and a university dorm, as well as reported airstrikes on Idlib city and other densely populated civilian areas,” said Commissioner Hanny Megally.
“Both the airstrikes and the rapid changes in territorial control are causing massive displacement of civilians.”
The commission was established in 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council with a mandate to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since the beginning of the war earlier that year.
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the commission’s chair, warned that the “brutality of past years must not be repeated,” and stressed that Syria must not veer toward a new cycle of atrocities.
He called on all factions involved to break from past patterns of violence and uphold human rights in line with the Geneva Conventions.
There are reports that the fighting could expand to other areas, with the government and its allies reportedly preparing a counteroffensive.
The commission has said it is closely monitoring the treatment of minorities and prisoners of war as opposition forces advance into government-controlled areas.
Particularly concerning is the situation in northern Aleppo, where the opposition Syrian National Army has taken control of areas with a Kurdish population, the commission said.
“There are some welcome statements by parties indicating that they intend to ensure the protection of the civilian population and their rights, so what is required is that their deeds match their words in the coming days and that humanitarian actors on the ground obtain the access and sufficient resources to alleviate suffering,” said Commissioner Lynn Welchman.
Woman, child among civilians killed as Israeli attacks continue in Lebanese border area
- PM Mikati says diplomatic communications have intensified to ‘stop Israeli violations of ceasefire’
- Three Merkava tanks were spotted advancing toward Burj Al-Molouk, marking the first time an Israeli incursion has reached this area
BEIRUT: Cautious calm prevailed in southern Lebanon following an intense night that shook the ceasefire agreement.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Tuesday that diplomatic communications had intensified since Monday to stop Israeli violations of the ceasefire.
The Lebanese authorities documented 47 Israeli violations of the agreement as of Monday morning.
Hezbollah retaliated on Monday, targeting the Shebaa Farms and the Galilee.
The Israeli military responded by targeting southern villages where residents had just returned, killing six civilians, including a woman and a child in Haris, according to the Ministry of Health.
Two injured people were pulled from the rubble of their house.
The Israeli targets included Jabal Safi, Louaizi, Mlikh, Bouslaiya, Deir Al-Zahrani, and the outskirts of Arnoun.
Although Israeli officials had threatened to launch a severe attack on Beirut in response to Monday’s developments, urgent calls were made to reduce tensions.
Israeli media outlets reported that significant US pressure prevented Israel from attacking Beirut on Monday.
Mikati met with US Gen. Jasper Jeffers, who chairs the monitoring committee.
Mikati said: “During the calls, we emphasized the need for stability so the displaced people could return to their villages and areas, in addition to widely deploying the Lebanese Army troops in the south.”
His remarks came as Israeli forces that advanced into the border area in southern Lebanon continued to violate the ceasefire agreement by targeting towns outside the area in which they are located while warning residents against entering.
For the third consecutive day, Avichai Adraee, the spokesperson for the Israeli military, warned residents of the border area against moving south of the line of the following villages: Shebaa, Habbariyeh, Marjayoun, Arnoun, Yohmor, Qantara, Shaqra, Baraashit, Yater and Mansouri until further notice.
He said anyone who moved south of the line put themselves at risk.
On Tuesday, an Israeli drone targeted the town of Beit Lif in the Bint Jbeil district.
The Israeli military opened fire with machine guns in a neighborhood in the town of Haboush.
Security reports indicated that an Israeli armored force penetrated the towns of Khiam and Wazzani, spreading across several neighborhoods.
Three Merkava tanks were spotted advancing toward Burj Al-Molouk, marking the first time an Israeli incursion has reached this area.
On Monday night, the Israeli military’s violations reached the town of Kfar Melki in the Sidon district.
On Tuesday, the Lebanese Armed Forces deployed in Tyre and its surroundings to maintain security, marking the start of the redeployment of army units, especially in the border villages, under the ceasefire agreement.
The Civil Defense units affiliated with Hezbollah continued to retrieve the remains of victims who perished during the war and who were not buried in their hometowns due to extensive hostilities.
The majority of these remains belong to Hezbollah fighters.
The head of the Tyre District Medical Department, Dr. Wissam Ghazal, said that 192 victims had been handed over, and the Ministry of Health, the Civil Defense, and the Disaster Unit of the Municipal Union were working to facilitate the humanitarian operations.
The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, made a public appearance after recovering from a significant injury incurred from the detonation of a pager device he was carrying, which was triggered by Israel’s actions against Hezbollah.
During his visit to the southern suburbs of Beirut, he emphasized Iran’s continued support for Lebanon and its assistance in the reconstruction efforts.
Cash crunch pushes Libyans to bank cards despite hurdles
- Libya has been wracked by instability and conflict since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi
MISRATA, Libya: In Libya, a shortage of cash in the banking system has pushed many to turn to cards for payments after more than a decade of war and instability has hammered the country’s financial system.
Across most Libyan cities, withdrawing money is akin to an obstacle course in which hundreds wait, often for hours, outside heavily guarded banks for a turn to take out cash.
But the money all too often runs out early due to short supply.
Mistrust in that system means money is rarely reinjected back into banks, with Libyans preferring instead to keep cash on hand.
And while cashless culture has yet to take root, “the younger generations are easily adopting it,” said Abdullah Al-Gatet, an employee at a bank in Misrata, the country’s third largest city.
Withdrawals at bank counters are capped at 1,000 dinars ($206) each time.
This, along with the cash shortage, means civil servants who make up the bulk of Libya’s working population often receive their salaries late.
There is a growing awareness among Libyans of “the importance of electronic solutions to facilitate daily transactions, especially in times of liquidity crisis,” said 30-year-old Gatet, “even if the infrastructure is still insufficient.”
Libya has been wracked by instability and conflict since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
It is currently divided between a United Nations-recognized government in the capital Tripoli and a rival administration in the east backed by general Khalifa Haftar.
In Misrata, a major port city and commercial hub about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Tripoli, the population of 400,000 are increasingly signing up to receive bank cards.
But the shift toward cash-free transactions is not without stumbling blocks.
There are few ATM machines and many vendors do not accept card payments as they are not equipped with payment terminals.
Economist Khaled Al-Delfaq, 42, said that while the shortages have pushed many to shift to using cards, there needs to be an accompanying shift in awareness, and work needs to be done to “make these services more accessible.”
But in the seeming absence of other options, many have already been converted.
Among those are Mohamed Al-Soussi, who was shopping for his family at a supermarket in Misrata.
“Transactions are more simple with the card. I don’t need to carry large wads of cash with me anymore,” he said.
Libya’s political upheaval has also precipitated another strange side-effect — multiple prints of 50-dinar banknotes.
Libya’s institutions have since 2014 been caught between the two camps vying for power in the oil-rich country, and its central bank is no exception.
Until last year, it had been split in two, with an internationally recognized headquarters in the capital and another in the east, with each printing bills signed off by their respective governors.
In 2012, new 50-dinar bills, the largest available denomination, were put into circulation to make life easier for consumers who often make cash payments in the thousands.
But last April, the central bank announced the withdrawal of those notes from circulation due to the proliferation of counterfeits.
“The situation became even more complicated with businesses refusing the 50-dinar bills,” said Moussab Al-Haddar, a 45-year-old teacher who was visiting his bank branch to request a card.
The central bank had initially set a deadline for the end of August for the notes to go out of circulation, before extending it to the end of the year.
In a bid to address the current crisis, the bank injected 15 billion dinars into the system in late October, while urging banks to facilitate the issuing of cards to clients.
Turkish court jails protesters over Erdogan speech disruption
- The protesters said the government was failing to uphold its pro-Palestinian rhetoric
- The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the group had coordinated their actions inside and outside the venue and sought their detention pending trial
ANKARA: A Turkish court has jailed pending trial nine protesters who disrupted President Tayyip Erdogan’s speech in Istanbul last week, accusing his government of continuing oil exports to Israel despite a publicized embargo.
The incident occurred during Erdogan’s televised address at a forum on Friday, where the protesters said the government was failing to uphold its pro-Palestinian rhetoric.
They chanted slogans such as “Ships are carrying bombs to Gaza” and “Stop fueling genocide.”
Erdogan responded sharply.
“My child, don’t become the mouthpiece of Zionists here. No matter how much you try to provoke by acting as their voice, mouth, and eyes, you will not succeed,” he said.
“Zionists around the world know very well where Tayyip Erdogan stands. But it seems you still haven’t understood.”
Police removed the demonstrators from the event, and prosecutors charged them with insulting the president and participating in an illegal demonstration.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the group had coordinated their actions inside and outside the venue and sought their detention pending trial.
The arrests have drawn strong criticism from opposition politicians and rights advocates. Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel denounced the detentions as a blow to democracy.
“The decision to arrest nine young people who protested Tayyip Erdogan proves the grave situation our country’s democracy has fallen into,” Ozel said.
“These young people were exercising their right to free expression and should be released immediately.”
