News of the week: The release of Thabets pending investigation

On Saturday, Egyptian authorities released famous Egyptian businessman Safwan Thabet and his son Seif Thabet pending investigations after their arrest in the Winter of 2020-21

The Thabets were arrested allegedly for joining a terrorist group aka the Muslim Brotherhood. Safwan Thabet was arrested in December 2020 while his son and Juhayna CEO Seif Thabet was arrested in February 2021.

Mariam Thabet with her father Safwan and her brother Seif Thabet 

The famous industrialist who founded Egypt’s biggest dairy and juice producer “Juhayna Food Industries” was accused along with his son of allegedly financing the MB. The Thabets till this moment deny those charges.

Qatar’s Tamim in Cairo : It is called politics

Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived to Cairo on Friday in a two-days visit that is the first since the famous Ula Reconciliation Declaration in January 2021 between Qatar and the Quartet countries (Egypt, Saudi Arabia , United Arabi Emirates and Bahrain).

Tamim was received warmly by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Abdel Fattah El-Sisi receiving Tamim in Cairo on Friday 
"Egyptian Presidency" 

It is expected that on Saturday that they will hold talks and new business and economic agreements aka Qatari investments mostly will be announced just like in the case of Saudi Arabia and Emirates in the past four weeks. It is not a secret that in the economic crisis , Egyptian government did not hide that it needs direct foreign investments and our brothers are in the Gulf are going to help us.

In March 2022 , Egyptian and Qatari officials agreed on a package of USD 5 billion in investments and partnerships in Egypt. On Wednesday , Egypt and Qatar signed a MoU on financial policies coordination in Doha.

I expect that the talks will be about energy sector and it won’t be surprised that Qatar is interested in liquefying its gas in Egypt to export it to Europe just like Israel and EU’s deal last week. Already Algeria will be the second stop for Tamim’s tour. Other than being Arab countries , gas is the common factor between Egypt, Qatar and Algeria.

What will happen in Cairo on Friday 27

What do you think what will happen on Friday 27 in Egypt?
I do not know what will really happen on Friday 27th in Egypt, no one knows 100% to be honest if you think about even those in mount Olympia.
Only God knows.
I have been asked over and over on Thursday about what will happen and honestly, I do not have a clue because everything is vague and it is happening in extreme speed.
It is one thing for sure, Egypt after the Protests of September 20th is different than Egypt before the protests of September 20th.
Even the world map and balance of powers changed in one week at a high speed.

What we know already

All that I know for sure that there will be Pro-Sisi rallies in Cairo organized by members of parliaments, celebrities and businessmen to show their support to the current Egyptian president.

Just like the online fashion nowadays, Pro-Sisi supporters from Members of Parliament and celebrities from singers and actors went on video clips online calling Egyptians to join them in a celebration on Friday to celebrate President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at commonly known Rabaa square or as officially known now Hisham Barakat square.

The Death of Abdullah Morsi : A new chapter in Morsi’s Greek tragedy

From a few hours ago the news found its way online through Al-Jazeera News accounts and Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated news accounts: Abdullah Mohamed Morsi passed away.

I had to wait to get a confirmation from the family and it came through Turkey’s Anadolu as well the family's lawyer to Shorouk newspaper.
The youngest son of late ex-president Mohamed Morsi passed away in a Giza hospital after having a heart attack.
Abdullah Mohamed Morsi is the youngest and according to news reports, he was only 26 years old.
He died after 79 days of his father’s death.
It is like another chapter in the Morsis Greek tragedy for real !!
Or shall I say Egyptian tragedy !!

Abdullah Morsi with his dad's photo in March 2018 "Al Jazeera International"

Mohamed Morsi had five children, Ahmed who works as a doctor in Saudi Arabia, Shaimaa who is a housewife, Osama who works as a lawyer and currently detained in some MB-related case, Omar and Abdullah.

Egypt’s scientists are angry : Egyptian academia got something to say for real

“#Egypt’s_Scientists_are_angry” is A hashtag that has been top trending for days now in Egypt especially among Egyptian public university professors and academics for days now on social media networks.

It is mainly active on Facebook and Twitter in Arabic.
Why are Egypt’s scientists aka academia and university staff angry?

Because they are simply demanding better salaries and pensions to help them in their living in Egypt nowadays.
This is the short version.

Cairo University's famous hall in Giza 

The longer version got more details that make you understand why they have to be so angry and even will make you wonder why they were not angry before.
The University staff across Egypt are demanding the following in their campaign according to one of the biggest groups dedicated to “Egypt’s Scientists are angry” movement on Facebook “Over 57 thousand members” :

• Fair salaries as well as increase in salary to coup with the floating of the Egyptian pound, the cancellation of subsidies like fuel subsidies and soaring prices.
• Providing University staff and their families with proper health care and health insurance. 
• To have a pension that is equal at least 80% of the last salary.

National Cancer Institute tragedy : The red wedding

On Sunday, Egypt stayed awake till the early hours of the morning watching a fire that erupted outside the National Cancer Institute “NCI” in Cairo’s Al-Manial island.
It started with big bang and huge fire that was seen from Giza and Garden City.
For several hours, the cause of the huge explosion and fire was not unknown and many news websites close to the current administration reported different contradicting causes of the explosion.

Outside the NCI, the fire following the explosion by Ahmed El-Sheikh

The only information we had then was that not less 18 people were killed and 20 others were injured. The number was increasing while the patients of the NCI were being evacuated.

One of the cancer patients evacuated from NCI in Cairo after the explosion "Getty images" 

By the morning, the death toll increased to 22 and 47 others injured.

It took 18 hours till the Egyptian ministry of interior declared that a car carrying explosive involved in a traffic collision that caused this deadly blast.
The collision and the explosion that rocked happened when that car full of explosive went in the wrong way of the street colliding with other cars, the MOI statement read.

Stranger Things Egyptian version : Alaa Mubarak is accused of solidarity with the MB

It is a strange time when you find Alaa Mubarak is being reported to the High State prosecution for “solidarity with Muslim Brotherhood” !! 

Yes, notorious lawyer Samir Sabry has just done the impossible and accused Hosni Mubarak’s eldest son of “inciting the public opinion against the state in solidarity with the MB” because of a tweet.

It comes at the same time when Alaa Mubarak is facing a huge attack in Egyptian Media Group’s various publications especially Youm 7 that reminds him of his corruption during his father’s reign.

Alaa and his father ousted President Mubarak in one of their
retrials "Getty images" 

It is truly strange times because now we found a news website like Youm 7 attacking Alaa Mubarak reminding him how “ The 25th January revolution” erupted against his father and his own financial corruption!!
Usually, the Egyptian Media-owned Youm 7 considers the #25Jan revolution as a foreign plot to destroy the “Egyptian state” so seeing it recognizing it because of Alaa Mubarak is truly strange.

Already the founders of Youm 7 were NDP members close to Gamal Mubarak whom it used to promote as the upcoming leader of Egypt and since the first call to protest on 25 January 2011 emerged online, the website took the side of the regime. 

Again all this because a single tweet Alaa Mubarak posted it last week: a tweet where he criticized Egypt’s minister of immigration Nabila Makram after her infamous incident in Canada. “She tried to downplay it as expected” 

From what I understood, the son of the former president said that what Makram did and said in Canada was an irresponsible action which is actually true.
On Sunday, Alaa Mubarak deleted the tweet and said that he was raised to respect the “State institutions” and that he rejected to find his name “used in insulting the Egyptian state” as MB-channels-based in Turkey began to highlight his tweet.

RIP Essebsi : Some men play an important role more than they think or you think

Earlier Saturday late Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi was buried in his family cemetery after a respectable funeral for an Arab leader.

Since I was child, I have seen lots Arab presidents and kings’ funerals and one thing I noticed in Essebsi’s funeral that I did not feel or notice in those funerals: People’s true respect.

Vice president of Nahda Party "Islamist" Abdel Fattah El-Mourou walking behind the coffin of
late President Essebsi

The people did not show hypocritic hysterical sadness that we are used to in our part of the world.
That populist culture about the death of that leader/father figure did not exist despite Essebsi’s old age and despite his long political life.

After all the 92-years-old veteran stateman was Tunisia’s first democratically elected president and the man met and dealt with true opposition, not a fake one.
This is the most important role the veteran stateman played since Tunisia’s independence for real in a very critical time.
I do not think that he would have imagined that he would end his life as the President of Democratic Tunisia.

Some Non-Tunisian Islamists are cursing him for enforcing more secular laws when it comes to inheritance and marriage laws as well as their constitution-related articles.
It is up to the Tunisian people to change those laws as well as their constitution at the end of the day at any time.

For me, Essebsi and another man called Rached Ghannouchi made a historical choice to protect Tunisia and its young democracy from the collapse of the Democratic Arab Spring in 2013.
This is how I will remember Beji Caid Essebsi. He was not the most revolutionary nor he represented the youth of Tunisia.

It started and ended in June for him : Ousted Ex-president Morsi passed away during trial "Updated"

Egypt’s ousted ex-president Mohamed Morsi has passed away in Cairo during his trial on Monday, the Egyptian State TV announced.
A few moments ago, Egypt’s Prosecutor general Nabil Sadek’s office issued its first official statement about the death of the country’s fifth president during his trial.

During his espionage trial in New Cairo, the 68-years-old asked to address the court following the defense of the second and the third defendant in the case.
“The court allowed him to speak and the defendant spoke for five minutes, then the court took a recess,” The statement said.

While in the cage with other defendants, Morsi fainted and collapsed. The statement said that he was then transferred to hospital and it turned out that he passed away when he arrived there at 4:50 PM.

Ousted Ex-president Mohamed Morsi, the fifth president of the Arab Republic of Egypt
behind bars in court (AFP)

The report added that the prosecutor general order a team of prosecution investigators from High State security prosecution and Prosecution general to examine Morsi’s body and to check the CCTV recordings as well as to hear the statements of the defendants and those who attended the incident.

The prosecutor general also delegated a team from Egypt’s forensic authority to prepare a report about his death so it can issue a permit for his burial later.
There are reports that family would be allowed to check his body as a gesture that there is no fool play.

It is unclear how his funeral will be but I do not think it will be a public one or official one.
Most probably it will be held at night quickly with no media.

Mohamed Morsi was standing a trial for conspiring and spying with foreign armed groups aka Hamas during 2011.
It is his retrial actually.
He was sentenced life  “25 years” in prison by the court in May 2015 for conspiring to commit terrorist acts.
He faced several trials and retrials.

According to my observation, it took nearly an hour so the news would find its way to Egyptian local media after he was pronounced dead according to the Prosecutor General’s office.

Updated : 

Mohamed Morsi was buried at a cemetery for the Muslim Brotherhood in Nasr City, Cairo. Only two His sons and wife were allowed to attend the burial according to his lawyer's statement to foreign media.

Minya once again : At least 7 Egyptians killed in another terrorist attack , another black Friday in Egypt "Updated"

At least 7 Egyptian Christians were killed and 14 others were injured Friday afternoon in a terrorist attack near a desert monastery in Upper Egypt’s Minya Governorate Friday afternoon in one of the desert roads.

In the first early reports that unknown gunmen opened their fire on a bus carrying people coming from Minya to visit a monastery in the desert.

A child that survived the attack
and his face says everything
"Orthodox Church"

The Coptic Orthodox Church issued a more detailed statement about what happened.
Gunmen opened their fire on three buses heading back from Saint Samuel the confessor monastery in the desert of Minya using a back route.

At least Seven people on one micro-bus from Minya city were all killed whereas at least 13 people of another microbus from Minya also were all injured and currently being treated in hospitals.
A bus carrying 28 passengers from one family coming from Sohag to attend the baptizing of a baby from the family was also attacked but only 6 passengers were injured.
According to the list of victims killed in the attack released by the church, May God bless their souls, six of them were from the same family.
Many of the injured victims were women and children.

As you can see the Church is the one that issuing statements by names and details not the government as supposed because we are speaking about Egyptian citizens.
This attack is a copycat of the attack that targeted also a group of Christians heading to St. Samuel the Confessor also in May 2017 if you remember it.

You may ask where the security was and why this would happen again after a year and a couple of months. Well, security officials say that that convoy used a back unguarded route because the main guarded rout was closed down.

With my all due respect, I find that excuse is insulting because I thought along with many Egyptians that such convoys were accompanied with security vehicles. My aunt asked me that direct question as she heard the incident "Where are those security vehicles that follow them? It seems that we assumed wrong after all.

The response of the officials is always too late when it comes to the media.

The first source that spoke before anyone, as usual, is Father Makarios, the Bishop of Minya and Abu Qirqas who spoke to the media first before the Coptic Orthodox Church issued its official report or even the government officials.

Currently attending the World Youth Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi tweeted from there sending his condolences to the families of the victims asserting the intention of the Egyptian government to continue its efforts against terrorism.

Rabaa Sit-in dispersal trial : Death sentences , life sentences and Shawkan is a free at last…somehow "Updated"

A Cairo Criminal court put an end on Saturday for the infamous trial known in the media as “Rabaa Sit-in dispersal trial” after nearly 3 years in court and 2 years in pre-trial detention since August 2013
The Criminal Court sentenced 75 defendants to death while 47 defendants to a life sentence in prison “25 years without the possibility of a parole” and 374 defendants to 15 years in prison.

Mahmoud Abu Zeid aka Shawkan in court
"Reuters"

The court also sentenced 22 minor defendants and one defendant “adult” to 10 years in prison and 215 defendants including photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid aka Shawkan were sentenced to 5 years while the lawsuit is expired for 5 defendants as they passed away.

The defendants except 22 minors are to be isolated from other prisoners in prison, to be expelled of their government jobs if they have any, to be banned from managing their money and assets and to be put under police surveillance for 5 years when they are released.
The prosecution had referred the 739 defendants to Criminal court in August 2015 for a number of charges above them attempting to change the main system of the state and organizing an assembly of more than 5 people at Rabaa Adawaya square in order to endanger the peace and general security as well to terrorize and scare the public and to endanger their lives.

The defendants were also accused of committing assault crimes against citizens who came near their assembly or their political opponents for penetrating their assembly as well resisting official authorities from policemen who were dispersing their sit-in.

They were accused of murder, destroying and occupying public properties and building by force as well as obstructing and blocking traffic.

Now there is good news in that case that Shawkan and the 214 other defendants are going to be released because they have spent 5 years in total in detention pending investigation at last.

Award-winning Shawkan was arrested along two foreign reporters during Rabaa Sit-in dispersal in August 2013. The foreign reporters left detention on the same day according to news reports.

But there is also bad news, Shawkan and the 214 defendants will spend the next 5 years since their release under police surveillance, which means half of their day “12 hours” will be spent at a police station.

Corbyn and Rabaa Salute misinformation : The sign's true story

On Tuesday, London-Telegraph published a news article under the title “Jeremy Corbyn condemned after image emerges of him making Muslim Brotherhood Salute” which claims that the leader of Labor in the UK was photographed with a man in an old photo making the famous four-finger Rabaa sign.

Jeremy Corbyn doing the famous Rabaa sign in 2017 "Telegraph" 

The Telegraph says in the report that Corbyn is under fire because he was doing the Salute of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group linked to terrorism in Egypt and the Middle East.
The news article is currently viral on main news websites and newspapers that can’t stomach the Labour leader like The Sun and The Metro.
That photo is making rounds on alt-rights and Islamophobia fanatics on social media.

Now there is a little misinformation here that needs to be corrected.

Jeremy Corbyn was doing Rabaa the sign which is not an MB salute.
The four-finger sign of Rabaa was made in 2014 by a Turkish graphic designer to commemorate the victims of Pro-Islamist president Mohamed Morsi’s sit-in's forcible dispersal in Rabaa and Nahda squares in Egypt on 13 August 2013.

According to the different human rights organizations, whether Egyptian or international, at least 600 human beings were killed on that day.
The numbers of the victims are still disputed but at least 600 victims have been officially confirmed by the semi-official National Council For Human Rights.
The Rabaa sign is associated with the Muslim Brotherhood because its members began to do it in their trials, rallies and protests in Egypt and around the world to commemorate the victims. The group indeed adopted it but it is not *their salute*

That sign is banned in Egypt and some have paid a heavy price because of doing it publicly even accidentally.

Egypt’s latest Presidential Pardon: The Good , the bad and the incomprehensible "Updated"

Last Wednesday, Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi pardoned 332 individuals, mostly from youth who had been imprisoned in protest-related cases.
The 332 individuals were chosen by the Presidential pardon committee which was formed in October 2016 to review the cases of youth imprisoned in politically related trials as well as humanitarian cases such as health problems and so on.
That’s the fourth pardon of its kind since that committee headed by political figure Osama Ghazali Harb started to work in 2016. According to statements to press by its members, the committee started to work on the fourth list in September 2017.
During then, its member Karim El-Sakka who spoke with Ahram Online that the committee was adopting selection criteria that include “ political prisoners, but exclude those involved in violence or terrorism”.
In November 2017, the committee member and Pro-regime MP Tarek El-Kholy stated to Al-Masry Al-Youm Daily stated that there was a delay in releasing the 4th Presidential pardon list because the committee was examining each case individually.
He also added that the list would be delivered to the presidency after being revised by “the concerned authorities”.
Last Wednesday, a source in the Prisons authority following the Ministry of interior told Ahram Arabic Gate that “the authority” did not interfere in the work of the committee.
According to current constitution’s article No.155, the president can issue pardon decrees for prisoners who have been handed final court rulings that cannot be appealed after consulting with the Cabinet.
Yet the Egyptian president cannot pardon those convicted in illegal weapons possession and trafficking as well drug trafficking according to the Criminal Code of Egypt if I understood correctly.
This introduction above is important for what is coming next.
On Thursday, the Presidential Pardon was officially issued in the Egyptian State Gazette with the names of the pardoned inmates.
Now there is something good about this pardon as well something bad. There is something incomprehensible as well.

How Egypt’s Media Council did not spare the Spring’s song from its censorship

For the first time since starting to blog here, I did not publish the official anthem of Spring or Sham Nassim in Egypt this year.
Busy between work and home, I tried at the same time to take some rest.
I feel sad that I did not publish my Spring Flowers Fair post on time then as I hoped so along with “الدنيا ربيع” or “The world is springy” as a tradition of Egyptian Chronicles in Spring.

Anyhow it is never too late to publish or speak about Soad Hosni’s unofficial Spring anthem because after all, it was the talk of the Egyptian society this Sham Nassim for the wrong reason.

After 43 years of appearing in Soad Hosni’s “Amira, my love”, the cheerful song about the beginning of the spring lost one of its scenes to the censorship because Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulations ”SCM” saw that scene is inappropriate for audience !!!!!

Here is the song

The scene that was censored is in “2:13” minute.

The inappropriate scene !!!

I can not believe it for real.
Some are saying that SCM decided to remove that scene because there was some sort of meme with sexual innuendo.

The winter of fury : The arrest of Abou El-Fotouh "Updated"

Egypt's High State security prosecution ordered on Thursday the detention of former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abou El-Fotouh 15 days pending investigations into charges of spreading false news and leading a banned organization. 

Originally I was planning to write this post about the arrest of Egypt’s ex-top auditor Hesham Geneina but I ended up Wednesday night following in disbelief the arrest of the former Presidential candidate and leader of Strong Egypt Abdel Moneim Abou El-Fotouh.

It started with a small yet alarming Facebook post by Hozaifa Abu El-Fotouh at 10:13 PM Wednesday Cairo local time saying that his father Abdel Moneim Abou El-Fotouh and the members of the political bureau of Strong Egypt Party.

At 12:25 AM, Hozaifa Abu El-Fotouh reported that all the of members of the political bureau that were arrested earlier were released while his father remained in custody.

According to news reports, they were arrested at his house in New Cairo while they were having meeting after his return from London two days ago. “several politicians have been arrested nowadays from New Cairo as far as I could tell !!”

Abdel Moneim Abou E-Fotouh in a presser in 2012

At first, there was no obvious reason on why the former MB leading figure and former presidential candidate and it seems that news websites and channels had different reasons.

Later it turned out that he was arrested because “he had a contact with the Muslim Brotherhood”.

Updated "@2:01PM Thursday :
Abou El-Fotouh's lawyers say that they do not know the charges he is facing for real. They were also not allowed to attend his interrogation at the High State security prosecution.   

I think we all know that Abou El-Fotouh left the MB in 2011 after a big fight and till that day the Brotherhood members hate him even more than El-Sisi because they could not forget how he called early presidential elections during the end of Mohamed Morsi’s era.

Earlier this week, Abou El-Fotouh had an interview that was aired on Al-Jazeera Mubshar TV channel that was recorded in London.

He arrived on Friday and recorded on Sunday despite the warnings he got from others not to speak through the Qatari TV channel. You can watch it after the break.

We do not need Spider walking people , We need projects like "Alef Bookstore"

On Saturday, former Egyptian armed forces spokesperson and current vice CEO of Pro-regime “Al-Assema” TV channel Mohamed Samir wrote in his daily short column in Pro-regime “Youm7 “ News website about how much he admired a very “talented “Young man” in Upper Egypt who made an “incredible achievement”.

The former Brigadier General believes that 18-years Mohamed Meghad had done amazing achievement that he should be honored in the upcoming State conference. He also believes that story of that young man and his achievement should be translated into different languages by the State Information Service.

Mohamed Meghad managed to break the Guinness World records in doing the “Spider Walk” faster than anyone in the world. He walked on his hands instead of his legs.
Yup, this is the great achievement which should inspire youth in Egypt as Samir says.

On Thursday, an Egyptian government committee assigned to confiscate and freeze the Muslim Brotherhood “MB” members and their affiliated assets in the country announced that it had confiscated the assets of 16 alleged MB members.
This time the list included the children of famous 90-years old Brotherhood spiritual figure Sheikh Youssef El-Qaradawi who is currently staying in Qatar.
It was no surprise for me because, in July, the security forces arrested al-Qaradawi's eldest daughter Ola “a grandmother” and her husband Hossam Khalaf, the leading figure in Al-Wasat Party on terrorism-related charges.

Yet in that statement, there was a shock for many people including friends who work in business as well friends who cover business news Egypt.

Alef Bookstore in Maadi 

The assets of Egyptian businessman and economist Omar El-Shenety were frozen and confiscated by that governmental committee including his shares in the famous “Alef Bookstore”.
I did not know who El-Shenety was before that news but I know very well “Alef Bookstore”.

Since 2009, Alef Bookstore became another important cultural venue for Egyptian youth in Cairo.
Soon it began to spread across the country with 36 branches in the 10 governorates past 4 years thanks to a successful franchise model.

Currently, 75% of the bookstore branches are owned by franchisees.
There are 250 employees working in the bookstore chain now and since 2009 more than 1000 employee worked in it.

Free Shawkan and others : More than 1000 days behind bars

Next Saturday Freelance Photographer Mahmoud Abou Zeid aka will stand in front of the Judges panel in Cairo to see if he is going to be released after more than 1000 days behind bars following his arrest during Rabaa sit in dispersal when he was only doing his job or he will continue to suffer in detention pending trial just like the past 600 days.

Shawkan behind bars by Eslam Gomaa

Shawkan, an Egyptian young man who was only doing his job as a photojournalist at Rabaa sit-in when he was arrested along hundreds of people.

The young photographer and 738 other defendants in the trial known as “Rabaa sit in dispersal” in the media are facing nine charges in this trial including forming a militant assembly, cutting highways and attempted murder.

Shawkan and other defendants are facing the death penalty in this trial if they are found guilty.
A freelancer, Shawkan is not a member of Journalists syndicate and I do not think that the current Pro-regime administration of the syndicate cares for him.

The fact that he got Hepatitis C while is in detention and is currently in a need of medical attention do not play any role in his release nor it gives him the right to receive proper treatment in a hospital
I do not know when Shawkan will be set free to enjoy his life for real.
I hope and pray for a miracle that on Saturday the judge will order for his release.

It is not only Shawkan who needs to be released from detention, there are many people like who were arrested and were locked up for infinity and beyond whether in pretrial detention or detention pending trial.

Business tycoon , publisher and dead people : Abu Trika and the 1512 other names in that terrorists list

Last week the Egyptian people were in shock after knowing that their beloved footballer Mohamed Abou Trika was added to the terrorists list.
The news is still making people angry and the popular retired footballer received support and solidarity from fellow footballers as well media figures unexpectedly now for me.
But despite Mohamed Abu Trika deserves all the support and solidarity, yet there are 1512 people on that terrorist list that we should pay attention to as well.

A copy of the names in the list from Al-Shorouk Daily Newspaper
which published the news before anyone else 

Already, one thorough look at that list tells much about it.
Aside from Abou Trika, there are other prominent political and economic figures in the list.

There are 5 journalists in the list including journalist Hisham Gaafar, the CEO of Mada Foundation for media development who has been detained pending investigation since October 2013; Samhy Mostafa, the co-founder of RASSD News and publisher Mostafa Sakr whose assets were frozen in December 2016 over Brotherhood ties.
Sakr is the publisher of Daily News Egypt "DNE" and El-Borsa Daily. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi published two Op-eds about Egyptian economy in DNE during the Euromoney conference, Which DNE is a media partner.

Publisher Mostafa Sakr and Footballer Mohamed Abu Trika 

The list also included famous businessman Safwan Thabet, the founder of Egypt's dairy giant Juhayna who is currently abroad. Thabet was sentenced one year in prison for producing products that do not meet market standards in March 2014.
In August 2015, the Egyptian government confiscated the assets of Safwan Thabet in Egypt over his ties to Muslim Brotherhood.
His only known and confirmed relation to the brotherhood is summarized in the fact that his sister is married to the son of the late Ma'mun al-Hudaybi, the sixth general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ironically after the ouster of the 25 January revolution, it was said that he was Suzanne Mubarak Thabet's brother because of the "Thabet" family name.

Abou Trika , the hearts terrorist and the curse of stupidity in Egypt

Some people are saying what happened late Tuesday night was a pathetic attempt from the Egyptian government to divert the attention from Tiran and Sanafir political crisis but it seems that attempt failed anyhow.

Mohamed Abou Trika 

Late Tuesday, Al-Shorouk Daily announced that Cairo's Criminal Court added popular ex-footballer Mohamed Abou-Trika and 1499 others including public and political figures to a terror list.
Al-Shorouk Daily published a copy from the court order that surprised and shocked millions of Egyptians.
According to that court order, he is banned from travel and he may get arrested upon arrival to Cairo.
He is currently in Doha.
In May 2015, Abou Trika's assets and funds were confiscated by a government committee because he was officially accused of being a Muslim Brotherhood member.
For two years, he and his lawyers fought that order.
In June 2016, Egypt's Administrative court canceled the decision to confiscate his money but the government appealed it.
On 10 January 2016, the Administrative court upheld the June 2016 court ruling.
Now, many Egyptians are cursing the government and the regime above all.
Whoever thought about this right after Tiran and Sanafir verdict is so stupid !!! All people are really angry that the most beloved footballer in the last decade is being treated as a terrorist in his own country.
Last month, this man played in the FIFA team along with Football legends like Maradona
Abou-Trika is currently in Doha, Qatar where he works as a top football analyst in BeIN Sports.
He appeared on the channel during one of the AFCON 2017 football matches but he did not comment on what happened at all.
The popular football star appeared smiling.

Abuo Trika on BeIN sports on Wednesday 

His lawyer said that they are going to appeal against the decision to list him as a terrorist.

Shawkan Photo awards 2016 : Egypt's best photos of the year

For the second year in a row, a group of prominent of Egyptian photographers held the annual competition to name and choose Egypt's best photos in 2016.

The competition which was named after detained Photographer Mahmoud Abu Zeid aka Shawkan was launched in 2015 is back with more photos and a new category to celebrate photography in Egypt.

For those who do not know Mahmoud Abu Zeid aka Shawkan is a freelance journalist who has been detained since the dispersal of Rabaa sit-in in August 2013.
Despite a massive a local and international campaign calling for his release, Shawkan is still detained pending trial.

This competition was launched first in 2015 to honor photojournalism in Egypt as well to remind the people of that young man who is currently behind bars for doing his job.



The judges of this year's Shawkan Photo awards are :

1. Hossam Diab: The former head of photography section in Al-Masry Al-Youm and former head of photographers section in the journalists syndicate.
2. Thomas Hartwell: An AP Cairo office photo editor and veteran photographer based in Cairo. He is also the head of Contemporary Image Collective "CIC"
3. Mosa'ab El-Shamy: A photographer in AP Cairo office.
4. Roger Anis: A photographer in Al-Shorouk News' Photography section.
5. Ahmed Hayman: A freelance photographer who used to work in Al-Masry Al-Youm Daily.
6. Randa Shaath: A freelance veteran photographer and former head of photography in Al-Shorouk Daily.

The Shawkan award 2016 panel of judges "Shawkan awards" 

Now here are the top five news photos of 2016 arranged descendingly.

5- The hug in court by Ibrahim Ezzat Hendy

MB Spox Ahmed Arif hugs his wife in court
"Ibrahim Ezzat Hendy" 

The moment the Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Ahmed Aref hugged his wife in court during his trial in 2016. That moment was captured by Ibrahim Ezzat Hendy , a talented Photojournalist from Al-Shorouk Newspaper's photojournalism section.

4- Anti-sexual harassment policewoman by Ali Fahim

Anti-Sexual harassment policewoman "Ali Fahim" 

Taken in Downtown Cairo during some feast, a photo featuring a policewoman from the Anti-sexual harassment force. That force is made of women.
The photo was taken by Aly Fahim.