[fse-esf] Urgent action to stop expulsion of Egyptian Farmers

[Cairo Palestine]

Dear Friends

Hundreds of Egyptians peasants will be expelled from their land and houses 
starting from May 5th. Via Campesina support their claim to stay on their 
land.

Please fax this call to the Egyptian Embassy in your country.
Disseminate it to media
Send a copy to <basheer_sr at gawab.com>


On behalf of the Egyptian Popular Committee with Land Reform Peasants
Bachir Saqr +20.48.2326156 +20.127439283. <basheer_sr at gawab.com>
Cairo, May 2nd.

STOP THE EXPULSIONS OF EGYPTIAN PEASANTS FROM THEIR LAND
Stop violence and trials against the peasants
Land Reform Administration must serve beneficiaries not former owners!

Responding to the Egyptian farmers who met in Kamshish village on April 30th 
2006, we, activists and organizations gathered in Athens at ESF and MedSF, 
declare our support to the Egyptian peasants struggle for the right to stay 
on their land, against the pressures and attacks from the former land owners 
in order to expel them and force them to renounce their property rights.
April 30th 2006 is the day of the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of 
the assassination of Salah Hussein. Part of the farmer movement and land 
reform, he was killed in his home village by the family of land owners "El 
Faqi".


In Dekernes region (north-east of Delta), courts decided to destitute using 
force, hundreds of land acres. 50 families who benefited from the land 
reform in the 60’s, have used all legal means for their defense. From May 
5th, police can intervene anytime.  Thousands of Egyptian peasants are 
threaten by expulsion and house destruction.

Shahinda Maqlad, Elsayed Maqlad, Mohammed Elsayed, widow and relatives of 
Salah Hussein, and Adel Hamouda, Ala Adel, Hana Hamed, journalists, have 
been sentenced to jail for insult and defamation, for having declared and 
written that Salah Hussein had been assassinated by the Faqi family. 
Shahinda’s trial is being brought to the court of appeal on May 16th.

Farmers from Sarando village (Delta region) and their lawyer have been 
accused of defamation, assault and battery, for having put on fire 
bulldozers and accused the police to have tortured them in January 2005. 
They will be judge in front of the High Security court of Damanhour on June 
18th 2006.

Peasants of Bahira Governorate have been currently threatened by the State 
company Shamal El Tahrir. This company forces them to buy once again the 
land they legally own.

We address our protest to the Egyptian Embassies and ask the Egyptian 
Government:

1) to stop the expulsion from their land of all Egyptian farmers who legally 
own it since the Land Reform.

2) to ban the illegal detention and torture of peasants by the police; to 
sanction security forces who try to force farmers to renounce to their 
rights.

3) to ban the use of High State Security Court to judge a conflict between 
land owners and peasants, or  State security and peasants on the accusation 
of defamation etc.

4) to order the Land Reform Administration to deliver all requested property 
certificate by the peasants

5) to oblige courts not to accept property certificates without 
verification.

We ask the Egyptian Embassy to communicate our protest to the President of 
the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Prime minister, the Minister of Interior, 
and Courts, particularly of

Court of Appel (Madinat Nasr) Abasseya,

North Giza Court, Embaba, Giza Egypt

Ministry of Justice

On behalf of the Egyptian Popular Committee with Land Reform Peasants

April 30th 2006

Historical Background (not to be faxed to Egyptian Authorities)

40 years ago, land reforms restricted land property to 84, then to 42 acres, 
and established prices for land renting. Land surplus were sold by credit to 
the farmers as tenants. Since 1997 and the “rent liberalization law”, big 
landowners are allowed to raise the rent prices as they wish. Moreover, they 
now threaten small landowners who benefited from the land reform. The public 
administration, in collusion with the big landowners, refuses to provide the 
farmers with their land property certificate and courts sentence the farmers 
to leave their land which has been cultivated for 40 years. When farmers 
have their official papers, as it is the case in Sarando village, big 
landowners send bulldozers, the police and armed men to destroy the houses. 
Police arrests people and torture men, women and children. Among the 
victims, Nafisa Elmarakby died after being tortured by police chief officer 
Mohamed Amar from Damanhour. Her family, under threats, has finally 
renounced to sue the officer. Moreover, the military court has called 26 
farmers and their lawyer, Mohamed Abdel Aziz. The police officer responsible 
for detaining farmers and the death of Nafisa is now part of the accusation 
against the farmers and their lawyer. He can anytime arrest and torture 
farmers who oppose him and the big landowners.

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