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Tag: Egyptians

  • Greek judge dismisses case against Egyptians over shipwreck that killed hundreds of lives

    Greek judge dismisses case against Egyptians over shipwreck that killed hundreds of lives

    A Greek judge said on Tuesday that a case against nine Egyptian men for causing a shipwreck that killed many migrants last year can’t go forward in Greece. This decision caused concern in the European Union about border protection and asylum. The prosecutor told the court that Greece doesn’t have the right to handle this case.

    The judge Eftichia Kontaratou made a decision at the start of the trial in Kalamata, Greece. People who support the defendants cheered and clapped at the courthouse when they heard the decision.

    More than 500 people are thought to have died when the Adriana sank in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean on its way from Libya to Italy. Only 104 people were saved from the crowded fishing boat. They were mostly men from Syria, Pakistan, and Egypt. 82 people didn’t make it and were found dead.

    The lawyers said that the young people on the boat were part of the crew and responsible for treating passengers badly. They also said that the boat was too full and that caused it to flip and sink on June 14, 2023. But the defense team said that it wasn’t true. The nine men could have gone to prison for a long time if they were found guilty of the many crimes they were charged with, like helping people enter a country illegally and causing a ship to crash, which led to people dying.

    The judge agreed with the public prosecutor’s suggestion to throw out the case because the boat sank in an area that doesn’t belong to Greece.

    “The ship crashed in the middle of the ocean, so Greek courts can’t handle the case,” she said. “I suggest that we say they did nothing wrong. ”

    International human rights groups criticized the case because they thought the defendants didn’t get a fair trial. This is because the Naval Court is still investigating the sinking and the actions of the Greek coast guard.

    The trawler sank while sailing in waters that Greece is responsible for rescuing people in. A coast guard boat and other ships were near the boat for a long time, but couldn’t stop a lot of people from dying.

    Many people who were saved from the sinking ship said it happened when the Greek coast guard tried to tow the ship. Greek officials say this is not true. It’s not clear how exactly the sinking happened.

    The nine people were charged because nine survivors said they did something wrong. The lawyers said that the witnesses were forced to testify, and their clients were just passengers who were blamed for the sinking because the authorities wanted to blame overcrowded conditions.

    Dimitris Choulis, a lawyer on the defence team, said we should now focus on how the Adriana ship sank.

    “The court had to be very brave to make this decision and say that these people are not the smugglers,” Choulis said. “Now we can’t blame the bad smugglers anymore. We have to figure out who caused the shipwreck. ”

    Choulis said the Greek coast guard and Europe’s migration policies caused the tragedy. He said it’s important to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

    Judith Sunderland, who works at Human Rights Watch, said the same thing.

    “Now that the survivors have been through a difficult time, we need the Naval Court to finish its investigation and figure out who is responsible for the many people who died in the Pylos shipwreck,” she said. Pylos is a town in Greece that was near where the trawler sunk. The shipwreck is now called by the name of that town.

    The nine people who have been in jail since the boat accident were supposed to be let out on Wednesday after everything was finished.

    Another lawyer, Spyros Pantazis, said that the Kalamata court made the right decision today. “This case required a lot of time and hard work. ” After a long time, the entire defense team is very happy.

    Dalia Abdel-Magid, the aunt of defendant Mohammed Emad Abdel-Magid, had a strong emotional response when she heard that her nephew had been found not guilty.

    “I’m very happy and I just want to hug him and bring him with me,” she said. “I hope things get better for him now. ”

    Earlier, a few people who were protesting fought with the police outside the court. No one got seriously hurt but two people were taken by the police. Special police officers kept the peace in the courtroom.

    “Justice won” Stelios Kouloglou, a member of the European Parliament from Greece, said that it should not happen again for innocent people to stay in jail for a year. 2,000 people in Greek jails are thought to be innocent. They have been accused or found guilty of smuggling. Most people are innocent.

    At the beginning of the trial, Kontaratou asked all nine people accused of a crime some questions with the help of a translator. The person accused said they meant to go to Italy, not Greece, and many said they didn’t do anything wrong.

    She admitted that there were no Greeks on the ship, it wasn’t Greek, and all the documents said the ship was 47 nautical miles away.

    Last year, the leader of the United Nations called the shipwreck “very terrible. ”

    The boat sinking made European governments feel like they need to do more to keep migrants and asylum seekers safe when they try to come to Europe. More and more people are trying to come to Europe without permission, and something needs to be done to help them stay safe.

    Frontex, the European border protection agency, says that there have been more illegal border crossings at EU frontiers for the past three years. This is the highest it has been since the migration crisis in 2015-2016, mainly because more people are arriving by sea.

  • Sisi of Egypt faces an unexpected electoral challenge

    Egyptians are really interested and caught up in the exciting beginning of their country’s presidential election campaign, which started earlier than expected.

    President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is almost certain to be re-elected for another six-year term, even though his government is currently dealing with very high inflation rates and a large amount of debt.

    The left-wing politician and former MP Ahmed al-Tantawi, who strongly opposes the government, has started an uncommon political campaign in Egypt.

    President Sisi hosted a big, three-day conference on TV called “Story of the Homeland” to talk about what happened in the past ten years and officially announce that he is running for office.

    Mr Sisi said that he is answering the calls of the Egyptians once again. He has decided to nominate himself for another term as president in order to fulfill their dreams. The audience of officials and important people cheered and applauded in response.

    “I am asking all Egyptians to take part in this democratic process and use their love for their country to decide who is deserving,” he said.

    At the right moment, many people gathered in different cities in Egypt to show their support.
    Many people crowded into a square in Giza and happily waved flags. Many people from nearby poor neighborhoods came because they wanted to attend a party with famous singers. But some people told the BBC that they were government workers who were told to go.

    As Egyptian television talk shows, which are very popular but also heavily regulated, talked about these pictures, videos were also shared on social media showing small protests. These protests were particularly noticeable in the small coastal city of Marsa Matrouh, where banners with the president’s image were torn down and destroyed.

    A few Arabic hashtags quickly became popular. Not only “Sisi” with requests for a “million man” march to support him, but also “Leave, loser”, which is being shared by thousands of people.

    The choice to plan the election for December 10-12, which is much earlier than needed, seems to be connected to Egypt’s serious economic problems. Experts are predicting that another difficult decision will be made next year to reduce the value of the currency.

    During a conference this week in Egypt’s new administrative capital, which is an expensive project of Mr. Sisi’s government being constructed in the desert east of Cairo, the president asked regular people to make sacrifices to handle the increasing prices.

    “He said, Egyptians should not even think about choosing to eat instead of working hard and making advancements. ” If we have to be hungry and thirsty in order for the country to improve and be successful, then we should choose not to eat or drink.

    His opponent, Ahmed al-Tantawi, quickly criticized those remarks as being “dangerous” and indicating a “cruel approach”. He stated that Egyptians were being expected to face hunger and a lack of necessities.

    He expressed disapproval towards Mr Sisi, saying that Mr Sisi’s idea of progress involves constructing large buildings, cities, and palaces in the desert instead of prioritizing the wellbeing of people by ensuring they have a good life, including access to quality education and healthcare.

    We don’t know yet if Mr. Tantawi, who is one of the few people running for president, will participate in the competition.

    The internet watchdog CitizenLab in Canada has found that his phone has been attacked with advanced spyware.

    He also said that everyday Egyptians have had a hard time registering their support for his candidacy at public notary offices. Some people say that they were assaulted by supporters of the government.

    People who want to run for office need either the support of 25,000 signatures from people in 15 different areas, or the support of 20 Members of Parliament who are likely to vote for Mr Sisi.

    Egypt’s National Election Authority says it is looking into the complaints and keeping notary offices open for longer.
    President Sisi, who used to be a general in the army, led the military’s removal of Mohammed Morsi, who was elected as the president of the country through a democratic process and belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood. This happened in 2013, after Morsi had been in power for one year, following a lot of people protesting on the streets.

    He won the presidential elections in both 2014 and 2018 with 97% of the vote. In 2019, the constitution was changed to allow him to stay in power for two more years and run for a third term. People voted and agreed on this change.

    Mr Sisi’s time as leader has involved stopping the Muslim Brotherhood completely. They were previously the strongest opposition group in the country, but their leaders are now imprisoned or living outside of Egypt.

    Activists say that many people who criticize the government have been put in jail. Most of them are Islamists, but there are also non-religious activists, including many who were involved in the 2011 uprising that removed President Hosni Mubarak from power.

    Mr Sisi used to be viewed as someone who would bring stability to Egypt after a long period of trouble, and he was able to show himself as a powerful leader. But, he has become less popular as the country’s economic problems have gotten worse.

    Egypt, which relies on importing a lot of wheat, was severely affected by the consequences of the war in Ukraine after struggling with financial difficulties for many years. The value of the currency has decreased three times since the beginning of last year, and it has lost more than half of its value compared to the dollar. In August, prices increased a lot, almost 40%.

    The president has been saying in his speeches that this year’s election is an opportunity to start over and make new beginnings. “We are about to start a new government that aims to finish the process of keeping the state alive and reconstruct it based on modern principles and democracy,” he announced.

    Many Egyptians know that this election will not bring change, but instead more difficult times.

  • Egyptians in Zambian gold fraud case freed

    Egyptians in Zambian gold fraud case freed

    Charges of spying against five Egyptians and one Zambian who were arrested after a suspicious plane landed in Lusaka with cash, fake gold, and weapons have been removed. They could have been sent to prison for up to 30 years if found guilty.

    However, two of the Egyptians are being arrested again for smaller crimes and will be allowed to pay money for their release, according to a statement from Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission.

    Five Zambians who were also held at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport two weeks ago have not been let go. They will have to face a trial in the High Court for being accused of spying.

    The authorities found about $5. 7 million in cash, some guns, 126 bullets, and what appeared to be 127 kilograms of gold bars on the private jet. The bars were made of a mix of gold, copper, nickel, tin, and zinc.

    This is not a good time to talk about anything. One of the Egyptians who was freed said to reporters outside the court that we knew from the beginning that we are innocent. They then got on a bus.

    The state prosecutors did not explain why they decided to dismiss the charges. They decided to stop prosecuting the case, but they have the choice to start again if they get more evidence.

  • Greek court will hear nine Egyptians regarding boat sinking

    Greek court will hear nine Egyptians regarding boat sinking

    In connection with the sinking of a trawler last week transporting hundreds of migrants, nine Egyptian men are scheduled to appear in court in Greece.

    Seventy-eight people are confirmed to have died in the disaster but hundreds more are feared to have drowned.

    The nine suspects are accused of people-smuggling and other offences.

    They were arrested after survivors said they took turns steering the boat, giving orders and communicating with the Greek coastguard.

    The Greek authorities are facing mounting questions about whether did enough to prevent the shipwreck.

  • Egyptians sue Netflix for referring to Queen Cleopatra as Black

    Egyptians sue Netflix for referring to Queen Cleopatra as Black

    Egyptians are furious with the movie streaming service Netflix because Queen Cleopatra VII is portrayed as a black African.

    The portrayal appears in the docudrama series African Queens on Netflix.

    Only the trailer of the series has been released attracting the anger but producers are standing their grounds on their decision on choice of actress for the role.

    People from across the Egyptian society are using formal and informal channels to channel their grievance including a lawyer who filed a complaint that accuses Netflix of violating media laws and aiming to “erase the Egyptian identity”.

    A top archaeologist insisted Cleopatra was “light-skinned, not black”.

    The producer defended the depiction stating: “her heritage is highly debated” and the actress playing her, Adele James, told critics: “If you don’t like the casting, don’t watch the show.”

    Jada Pinkett Smith, the American actress who was executive producer and narrator, was meanwhile quoted as saying: “We don’t often get to see or hear stories about black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them!”

    About Cleopatra – BBC content

    Cleopatra was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and became the last queen of a Greek-speaking dynasty founded by Alexander the Great’s Macedonian general Ptolemy.

    She succeeded her father Ptolemy XII in 51 BC and ruled until her death in 30 BC. Afterwards, Egypt fell under Roman domination.

    The identity of Cleopatra’s mother is not known, and historians say it is possible that she, or any other female ancestor, was an indigenous Egyptian or from elsewhere in Africa.