Egyptian Chronicles

Sunday, November 3, 2013

#Morsi_Trial : Another trial for another president

I read this tweet today “Egyptians used to call the trial of Mubarak as the trial of the century , what will they call the trial of Morsi tomorrow !?”

Yes once again in less than four years Egypt an Egyptian president stands a trial. The first is Mubarak and the second is Morsi. Mohamed Morsi will stand a trial along other 14 defendants from his aides , Muslim brotherhood officials and Islamist figures. Some of them are runaways thus they will stand a trial in absentia.

Morsi and other defendants are standing a trial for the incitement to kill the protesters in the Presidential Palace clashes last 5 December 2012. I can not forget that day or the what led to it and what happened afterwards.

The trial supposedly will start at 9 AM . Unfortunately we will not see this trial live as the judge ordered that there would be no cameras or mobile phones in the court room. Nevertheless some sources said that the trial would be recorded by the Egyptian TV and then it would be aired after being edited !! Oh yes edited !! The reason given in the press that Morsi may reveal state’s secrets on air !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its location was changed at the last moment from Tora to Egypt’s favorite place to HAVE TRIALS : The Police academy in New Cairo. Needless to say the Appeal court announced too late after the announcement of ministry of interior that they will block traffic in Tora and Maadi corniche.

Helwan university also announced that it would suspend study in its faculties in campus on Monday. Several schools specifically the private and international schools will suspend study for fear of the Muslim brotherhood protests.

The Muslim brotherhood announced on its official website that there would be protests in solidarity with Morsi against his trial. It is expected as it was announced before.

Let’s be frank no one has started the polarization in Egypt that has reached to its climax now except the Muslim brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi with his ill fated bloody Constitutional declaration.

Morsi is not Salvador Allende nor Nelson Mandela as he is being described by his supporters now , he and his brotherhood did horrifying mistakes thinking that Egypt was another syndicate they won its elections.

And The Military court gives Mohamed Sabry Suspended Jail Term

An Ismailia military court sentenced Sinai based journalist and dear friend Mohamed Sabry a suspended six months in jail for filming military areas in Sinai.

Sabry, a Sinai based journalist and a member of the “No to military trials” campaign was arrested in January 2013 and was accused of filming military areas on the borders.

This is the third military court’s verdict concerning an Egyptian journalist issued by a military court in less than a month. He is also the first journalist from Sinai to be prosecuted in front of military court. Sabry was arrested in time of Morsi too.

By the way Sabry’s camera, a Canon 6D was confiscated since his arrest and has not been returned to him yet.

On 5 October, a military court sentenced Sinai-based Al Masry Al Youm newspaper journalist Ahmed Abu-Deraa. Six months in jail. That sentence was later suspended. Abu Daraa was accused of publishing false news and rumors about military operations in Sinai. Abu Daraa praised the military judiciary after his release !!

Last 30 October, another military court sentenced Al Watan newspaper journalist Hatem Abu Nour to a year in prison on Tuesday over allegations that he impersonated military personnel. Abu Nour’s story is very strange because we did not know about it except after his sentence.

Solar Eclipse in #Egypt

Here is a slide show for the Solar Eclipse in Egypt by photographers and citizen journalists as well mostly in Cairo and Giza. They are beautiful.

Unfortunately I forgot to bring the battery of the camera with me but I took a snapshot after the eclipse with my mobile phone , it is more of romantic scene !! You will find my shot in the slide show.

Links and Notes 11/03/2013

Nubia: 50 years of displacement - Special Files - Folk - Ahram Online

A fantastic report about the Nubian displacement in Egypt. It is a must read

tags: Egypt #DWC #LN
تفويضكم يقتلنا.. | المصري اليوم

Since 3 July 2013 and Egyptian journalists as well Egyptian media are paying the price in Egypt. A powerful and important op-ed by Shaher Eiyad in Arabic

tags: Egypt #DWC #LN Media
Syrian asylum seekers: Lost at sea, barred from land - Region - World - Ahram Online

The agony of the Syrian refugees.

tags: Egypt #DWC #LN Syria Refugees

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Friday, November 1, 2013

No #BassemYoussef This weekend or next week, someone fears a little joke "Updated"

Doaa El Adl's latest cartoon about Bassem

And millions waited for Bassem Youssef and his show “El Bernmag” tonight and their wait was in vain because CBC network decided to cancel his episode. After few hours , the channel announced that it was going to suspend the show.
You can imagine the uproar and anger this move created among the show’s loyal fans especially from revolutionaries.
The Pro-Mubarak/Military/ElSisi fans are happy and they can not deny where as the Muslim brotherhood/Islamist fans are reminding us on how there was more freedom of expression in time of Morsi. “Despite Bassem Youssef was being sued for insulting the president as well Blasphemy”
Several political and media figures including those supporting El-Sisi are against the decision of the channel.
Bassem Youssef is already in Abu Dhabi and his mobile phone is closed. The CBC issued a statement about its decision. Here it is.

We were surprised with the media content delivered to us today in the show "al Bernmag" as it violated what was mentioned in CBC's last statement about the show.The violations show that the producer of the show and its presenter Dr. Bassem Youssef were not committed to the editorial policies of CBC channels. Being committed to CBC editorial policies was mentioned in the signed contract between us and the show producer. We drew the attention of the show's producer and its presenter after airing the last episode that they should be committed to what was issued in the channel's statement. In addition the producer did not present to the channel all the episodes of the previous season despite he received all the sums agreed in the contract and even asked for more sums in order to produce additional episodes ; the thing that is considered another violation to the contract. Thus CBC decided to suspend the show till all the technical and commercial problems are solved.

Mohamed El Amin , the CEO of CBC

So Bassem Youssef’s show is suspended till further notice !!

#Hala’ib Triangle in Photos : Shalateen Port by Yasser El Rasoul

As expected after raising the disputed Hala’ib triangle in the Egyptian media thanks to El Bashir’s officials statements earlier this year , it is no longer on radar and the neglected disputed rich-in much need of development is back to the abyss of oblivion.

Well I did not forget this area and today I share with you those photos from there giving you a glimpse of the neglected triangle there. The photos are taken by photographer Yasser El Rasoul in 2012. I gathered the photos from his Facebook Page in to storify Slideshows to be published in a series through out this week here in the Egyptian Chronicles.

I will start the series with photos from Shalateen Port in the city of Shalateen.

Here is Shalateen port on the map.