CAIRO: An Egyptian court said on Saturday it would transfer the cases of 75 people convicted of security-related offenses, including senior Muslim Brotherhood figures, to Egypt’s top religious authority to decide whether they should be sentenced to death.
They are among more than 700 people accused or convicted of illegal protest or murder over a 2013 sit-in that ended in the deaths of hundreds of Brotherhood supporters and dozens of police when security forces broke it up violently. Those convicted face potential sentences ranging up to life in prison and execution.
Since President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi took power in 2014, authorities have justified a crackdown on dissent and freedoms as being directed at terrorists and saboteurs trying to undermine the state. Death sentences have been handed down to hundreds of his political opponents on charges such as belonging to an illegal organization or planning to carry out an attack.
The dispersal of the sit-in at Rabaa Adawiya square in August 2013 came weeks after El-Sisi, as military chief, ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi after protests against Brotherhood rule.
Rights groups have criticized the trial of so many people in the same case, saying they include journalists and many peaceful protesters.
Egyptian law requires any capital sentence to be referred to Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam, Egypt’s highest Islamic legal official, for an opinion before executions can take place.
The 75 cases referred to the Mufti include those of senior Brotherhood leaders Essam Al-Erian and Mohamed Beltagi and prominent Islamist preachers Safwat Higazi and Wagdi Ghoneim, judicial sources said. Forty-four of the accused are in prison awaiting their sentence, and 31 have been tried in absentia.
The Mufti’s decision is not legally binding, but is rarely ignored by the courts. In 2014 the Mufti rejected a death sentence proposed for the leader of the outlawed Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, who is part of the same case.
Badie has since been sentenced to life in prison.
Amnesty International said on Saturday the trial was unfair, and that the accused had been denied the right to present an adequate defense.
EXECUTIONS INCREASE
“Egyptian authorities have never questioned or prosecuted any of the security force personnel who took part in the massacre,” it said in a statement.
Amnesty says more than 800 protesters were killed. The government has said many protesters were armed, and that 43 police were killed.
The final sentencing in the case is expected on Sept. 8, after the Mufti has given his ruling, judicial sources said.
Many death sentences issued under El-Sisi have not yet been carried out, but local rights groups say the number of executions has risen in recent years.
El-Sisi’s supporters say harsh measures are needed to ensure the stability needed to revive Egypt’s battered economy after the turmoil unleashed by the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.
“We (Egyptians) need to get out of the rut we are in ... I want to do that for you,” El-Sisi said at a youth conference at Cairo University on Saturday as he promoted his new defense minister, Mohamed Zaki, to the rank of general.
El-Sisi said he was “saddened” by a recent but limited social media campaign calling for his departure.
Egypt court sentences 75 to death in 2013 sit-in case
Egypt court sentences 75 to death in 2013 sit-in case
- The case involves 739 defendants, including the Muslim Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie and photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid
- Charges range from murder to damaging public property
UN chief says situation in Gaza ‘appalling and apocalyptic’
- Urged international community to “build foundation for sustainable peace in Gaza and across Middle East”
CAIRO: The United Nations chief said Monday the situation in war-torn Gaza was “appalling and apocalyptic,” warning conditions faced by Palestinians in the territory may amount to the “gravest international crimes.”
In remarks read out on his behalf at a Cairo conference aimed at increasing humanitarian aid, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to “build a foundation for sustainable peace in Gaza and across the Middle East.”
The war in Gaza broke out when Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in 1,208 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 44,429 people in Gaza, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
Guterres highlighted the devastating toll of the conflict and the urgent need for international action.
“Malnutrition is rampant... Famine is imminent. Meanwhile, the health system has collapsed,” he said.
The UN chief added that Gaza now has “the highest number of children amputees per capita anywhere in the world,” with “many losing limbs and undergoing surgeries without even anesthesia.”
The secretary-general also criticized the severe restrictions on aid delivery, calling the current levels “grossly insufficient.”
According to the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) count, only 65 aid trucks per day had been able to enter Gaza this past month, compared to a pre-war average of 500.
International aid organizations have repeatedly raised alarm over the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, warning that civilians are on the brink of famine.
They have said aid shipments reaching the enclave are now at their lowest since the start of the war.
Israel, which early in the conflict imposed a complete siege for a period on the Hamas-ruled territory, has blamed aid issues on what it says is the inability of relief organizations to handle and distribute large quantities of aid.
UN’s Guterres said on Monday that the blockade of aid to Gaza “is not a crisis of logistics” but rather “a crisis of political will and of respect for fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.”
UNRWA said all the attempts it has made to deliver aid into northern Gaza have either been “denied” or “impeded” between October 6, 2024 and November 25, amid fierce fighting in the area.
Guterres said “if UNRWA is forced to close, the responsibility of replacing its vital services ... would rest with Israel.”
In his speech at the conference, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said that the agency “remains the backbone of humanitarian response” in Gaza.
He also called for the use of “a robust international legal and political framework” to ensure the continuation of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“Without this, humanitarians, however selfless and courageous, cannot stay and deliver,” he added.
Jordan, UN agencies meet to discuss strengthening social development
- The meeting, attended by ministry stakeholders, focused on enhancing social programs and services
AMMAN: Jordan’s minister of social development met UN Resident Coordinator Sheri Ritsema-Anderson and representatives of UN agencies in Amman on Monday to discuss bolstering collaboration on social development initiatives.
The meeting, attended by ministry stakeholders, focused on enhancing social programs and services. Minister Wafa Bani Mustafa lauded the strong partnership between the ministry and UN agencies, highlighting their contributions to a range of projects.
“The collaboration has been instrumental in advancing key initiatives, including the National Social Protection Strategy 2026-2033,” she said.
Among the measures discussed was the professionalization of social work through a newly introduced system, which aims to improve service quality by creating a registry of certified social workers who will undergo specialized training, Jordan News Agency reported.
Bani Mustafa also stressed the significance of fostering partnerships with associations, forming coalitions and launching sustainable, productive projects.
She highlighted the impact of programs supported by UN agencies, including the UN Women Oasis Program, which empowers women and girls through training opportunities, and the Makani project, which equips children and youth with education and entrepreneurial skills.
Discussions also reviewed future plans to enhance support for vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, orphans and those without family support.
Key topics included improving services under the National Aid Fund and advancing women’s empowerment strategies within the framework of Jordan’s economic modernization vision.
UN agency representatives reiterated their commitment to supporting the ministry’s initiatives, commending its dedication to improving social services and empowering women, Jordan News Agency reported.
‘Foreign interference’ not behind Syria flareup: Turkiye
ANKARA: Turkiye, which backs militant factions in Syria, rejected Monday any suggestion that “foreign interference” was behind the offensive launched by Islamists in the country’s north.
“It would be a mistake at this time to try to explain the events in Syria by any foreign interference,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a joint press conference in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
The recent flareup which saw Damascus losing swathes of territory in northwestern Syria, including Aleppo, during a lightning offensive by militants, was due to the government’s failure to engage in dialogue with armed opposition groups, he said.
“The lack of talks between [Damascus] and the opposition has brought the problem to this point,” he said, describing it as “a mistake to ignore the legitimate demands of the opposition.”
“Damascus must reconcile with its own people and the legitimate opposition,” he added.
Turkiye did “not want an escalation of the civil war,” said the minister who told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call Sunday that Ankara would support moves “to reduce tension” in Syria.
Araghchi said it was crucial “to protect the achievements of the Astana process” to end Syria’s civil war, which groups Ankara, Moscow and Tehran, and pledged to convene fresh ministerial talks in the Kazakh capital “soon.”
The last such meeting took place in mid-November.
“Syria must not become a center for terrorist groups,” warned Araghchi in reference to the militant factions that staged last week’s attack.
Fidan also said it was “important that terror organizations do not take advantage of the instability” although he was referring to Kurdish-led rebels that Ankara sees as an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK has led a led a decades-long insurgency against Turkiye.
Turkish troops and Turkiye-backed militant factions control much of northern Syria, and Ankara is concerned that the recent outbreak of fighting could swell the flow of people fleeing across the border.
“We don’t want civilians to be killed or cities bombarded or people being displaced. We want these displaced people to be able to go back. The flow of refugees must be reversed,” he said.
Turkiye is already hosting some 3.2 million Syrian refugees, according to UN data.
Syria’s Bashar Assad on Monday branded the Islamist-led offensive as a bid to redraw the map of the region in line with US interests in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.
Both Iran and Russia, which have backed Assad since Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011, have said they will help Damascus fight back after losing Aleppo, with Tehran confirming it would keep its military advisers in Syria.
Two dead in attack on Sudan displacement camp: activists
- The Zamzam camp, south of the regional capital El-Fasher, was hit by heavy rocket and artillery fire from the RSF on Sunday morning
- Both sides face accusations of war crimes, including targeting civilians, shelling residential areas, and blocking or looting aid
Port Sudan, Sudan: At least two people were killed when Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacked a camp for displaced people in the North Darfur region, activists said on Monday.
The Zamzam camp, south of the regional capital El-Fasher, was hit by heavy rocket and artillery fire from the RSF on Sunday morning, said the local resistance committee in El-Fasher.
The “indiscriminate” attack killed at least two people and wounded a dozen others, said the committee, one of hundreds of volunteer groups coordinating aid in Sudan.
The northeast African country has been gripped by a war between the regular army and RSF that has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 11 million since April last year.
Both sides face accusations of war crimes, including targeting civilians, shelling residential areas, and blocking or looting aid.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, after visiting Sudan and neighboring Chad last week, called for immediate international action to address the crisis.
“It is a tough situation out there, the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world. And I’ve been talking to local people to host communities,” Fletcher said in a weekend statement.
Nearly 26 million people — about half the population — face the threat of mass starvation in Sudan as both warring sides have been accused of using hunger as a weapon of war.
“These numbers are staggering, and we cannot turn our backs,” Fletcher said.
ICC member states must act against Israeli, US threats: HRW
- International Criminal Court has faced ‘extreme pressure’ since issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant
- Human Rights Watch: ‘Crucial work’ at The Hague must continue ‘without obstruction’
LONDON: International Criminal Court member countries must oppose Israeli and US efforts to undermine the court follows its issuing of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.
The organization released a 24-page report outlining recommendations to member countries ensuring that the ICC receives the “political backing, resources and cooperation” it needs to carry out its mandate.
The world’s top international court has faced “extreme pressure” since issuing the warrants on Nov. 21, HRW said.
Warrants were issued for the arrests of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Mohammed Deif, a Hamas commander.
US lawmakers renewed threats of sanctions against the court and its officials after the warrants were issued.
Liz Evenson, HRW’s international justice director, said ICC warrants “send a critical message that no one is above the law. ICC member countries should make a commitment during their annual meeting (on Dec. 2-7) to take all necessary steps to ensure that the ICC’s crucial work for justice can continue without obstruction.”
HRW warned that US sanctions against the ICC would have “wide-reaching consequences for global justice.”
Legal uncertainty and apprehension for NGOs, consultants and lawyers could arise as a result of sanctions, which are “a tool to be used against those responsible for the most serious crimes, not against those promoting justice,” HRW said.
After the issuing of the warrants, many ICC member countries voiced support for the court’s decision, yet some avoided making explicit commitments to enforcing them.
Hungary’s President Viktor Orban said he would invite Netanyahu to visit his country despite Hungary, an ICC member, being obliged to arrest anyone wanted by The Hague.
The French government last week appeared to claim that Netanyahu enjoys immunity from arrest as Israel is not an ICC member. Judges at The Hague have rejected this view.
Member countries must condemn Israeli and US threats against the court and its supporters, including civil society organizations, NGOs and human rights defenders, HRW said.
The annual meeting should result in “concrete steps” aimed at protecting the court from “coercive measures,” the organization added.
“The ICC needs the support of its member countries to fulfill its ambitious global mandate of delivering justice for the most serious crimes,” Evenson said.
“Member country support needs to be consistent over time and across situations to avoid double standards, and uphold the court’s legitimacy for victims and affected communities.”
