Year: 2008
Mubarak’s Minister of Culture ‘dreams’ of normal ties with Israel
Keep dreaming!
Egypt’s Culture Minister Faruq Hosni, a candidate to head UNESCO but under fire from the Jewish state, said on Tuesday he “dreams” of normal ties with Israel once it has made peace with the Palestinians.
Mass arrests of farmers in Beheira villages
A report by Michaela Singer:
Over 1,230 farmers have been arrested in the past two days in Aboul Matamir in Beheira governorate, accused of failing to pay agricultural land taxes (known as the attyan tax) on time.
According to the Solidarity Committee of Egyptian Farmers, arrests began on the morning of May 24 and continued for two days.
Owners and renters in the villages around Aboul Matamir, including Janaklisse and El Ashartalaf, were shocked on Sunday morning when they were faced with a massive police presence administered by state security.
The police and security services continued to launch mass arrests on the basis that farmers were late in paying their clay taxes.
According to local farmers, the arrests were carried out “chaotically” and “indiscriminately,” without security paying attention to whether those arrested had a ruling against them.
The ruling to arrest the 1,230 farmers was taken in their absence. Farmers also claim that no notice was given for their arrest nor of the court ruling against them.