Quantcast
Channel: Egyptian Chronicles
Viewing all 4293 articles
Browse latest View live

Another teaser to Egypt's Annual Spring Flowers Show

$
0
0


Inshallah soon , you will find another long post with lots and lots of beautiful photos from Egypt's Spring Flowers show 2016.
By the way during my short visit to the Spring Flowers Show and while snaping photos here and there , a gardener's son asked me there why I was taking photos and I told him that because I loved it.
The little 7 years old boy then asked me to snap a photo and so I lent him my mobile phone to snap a picture because it was much easier and it turned out to be amazing.
See it after the break


Why so worried about 25 April !?

$
0
0
Thursday night, Egyptian security launched a huge crackdown on political and human rights activists that has not been seen for years.
The crackdown preceded the 25 April protests planned by opposition parties and movements against the Egyptian government decision to hand over Red Sea's Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.
Malek Adly
Malek Adly by Hossam ElHamalawy 
The day was not chosen randomly as it is the National Day for Sinai liberation.
Not less than 100 people were reportedly arrested from different areas in Cairo and other governorates according to human rights lawyers.
The crackdown continued on Friday and more activists were arrested including Leftist and leading Revolutionary Socialist Haitham Mohamedein.
Mohamedein is currently detained pending investigations for a number of charges including allegedly joining banned group.
It is worth to mention that Revolutionary Socialists group was banned during Mubarak's rule. Still, some lawyers who have been with him say that he is accused of joining the Muslim Brotherhood !!
The crackdown continued and on Saturday and we found out that arrest warrants were issued for leftist renowned human rights lawyer Malek Adly and Nasserist Journalist Amr Badr.
Saturday, lawyers and judicial sources say that arrest warrants were issued for 47 people including public figures for a list of charges including spreading false news about Tiran and Sanafir being Egyptian, attempting to topple the regime and violating the president's work in an act of sovereignty !!!!
How will the Egyptian House of Representatives vote freely on the ratification of that Egyptian-Saudi deal if it seems that one view in only allowed legally in the country !?
Will the security forces arrest MP Haitham El-Hariri for opposing the deal publicly !?
The argument that Tiran and Sanafir islands are Egyptian is officially considered a rumor that can send to you jail !!
Interestingly last Wednesday Shorouk website published a news based on anonymous sources that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi did not want any protests on April 25 demanding the cancellation of that Egyptian-Saudi deal.
The short report added that according to source the president did not approve that "soft" conduct of security forces during the "Land Friday" protests.
It is worth to mention 25 protesters were arrested after the dispersal of the protest and currently detained 15 days pending investigation.
On Thursday, the Egyptian Presidency issued  a statement denying and denouncing what Shorouk newspaper published.

And in no time, Shorouk removed the news from its official website and issued an official apology.
Of course , there is a cached version of the news that still indexed in Google servers.
Well, that Shorouk rumor seems to be confirmed after all thanks to that madness we are witnessing !!
I d not understand that hysteria about the upcoming 25 April protests.
The Pro-Sisi media is acting as he is going to be toppled when the people want for real is the cancellation of that deal !! Seriously, it is about the two islands only !!!
Personally , I believe no one will go to protest on 25 April after that crackdown because all lawyers and parties are running after their members in police stations !!
I just knew it when the name Tiran appeared in the news , we are going to pay a heavy price to return it back !!

April 25 : Another Protests Day in Egypt

$
0
0
First ,Happy Sinai Liberation Day and all respect to the martyrs who gave up their lives for the sake of Sinai Peninsula and Egypt.
The 25 April marks the departure of Israeli forces from Sinai Peninsula in 1982. It is a national holiday.
The photo of the day by Alaa El-Kassass
Pro-Sisi supporter running over a protester
This year it is a bitter celebration.
BY evening , we are speaking about more than 200 protesters detained by security forces across the country in unforgettable day.
Below, a full recap of the day.
In North Sinai , we got an ongoing war that does not seem to stop anytime soon between the Egyptian security forces and Daesh's affiliated Anser Beit Al-Maqdis.
North Sinai People are paying the heaviest price of that war.
In South Sinai , Sharm El-Sheikh resort is now a ghost resort thanks to the Russian airliner crash and the Western concerns about Egyptian airports security measures.
Also , earlier this month and after 110 years , we found out that Tiran and Sanafir islands in Sinai were given to Saudi Arabia by the Egyptian government without the knowledge of the Egyptian people in some new maritime borders deal.
Now several political movements and parties declared that they are going to protest that decision of the Egyptian government demanding its cancellation.

And everybody is freaking out !!
I do not understand this media hysteria in Egypt for real about 25 April protests as if those protests are going to down the regime !!
The other photo of the day by unknown photorapher
Saudi Flag and Sisi photo in Talaat Harb square.
There is ongoing hysteria in TV shows and in newspapers that remind me with that hysteria during the Fifth anniversary of the 25 January Revolution.
The 25 April protests have got a specific demand : The cancellation of the Egyptian-Saudi Deal !!
Now, things got more and more complicated with that ongoing crackdown against political activists in Egypt that started on Saturday.
Not less 100 people have been arrested in the past 4 days from political activists including students and journalists as well apolitical people but for their bloody luck sit at Downtown cafes known to be a hot spot for political activists.
Those political activists are accused of several charges including spreading false news about Tiran and Sanafir as well attempting to topple the regime.
The security forces closed Sadat Metro station aka Tahrir station as usual.
Anyhow , those arrests did not stop political activists , parties and movements who are planning to protest hours later.
The "Egypt Not for Sale" campaign announced that at 3 PM Cairo local time , there will be three protests at Egyptian Journalists syndication and Doctors syndication in Downtown Cairo and El-Bohoos station in Dokki, Giza.
It is wise choice for now because Pro-Sisi Future of Homeland Party , which got 51 seats in House of Representatives declared that it was organizing parallel protests all over the country to celebrate Sinai Liberation Day !! This is an open invitation for a clash.
You should read that investigation report by Hossam Bahgat about that party and its role in the parliamentary elections.
The Egyptian armed forces deployed units to protect the state's institutions...etc.
You must know April 6 Youth movement and political activists as well students have been organizing small protests in the ten days throughout the country.
Maybe this is what alarms the regime for real. Youth are back to activism.
Here are live updates from all over the country.


Rania Yassin apologizes for insulting Regeni after it was too damn late !!

$
0
0
Egyptian TV host and actress Rania Mahmoud Yassin apologized on Tuesday for her "remarks" about Giulio Regeni saying that she did not intend to insult the late Italian student and was only criticizing the Italian student.
"I did not mean Regeni's himself , I was a bit emotional because of how the Western media dedicates to attack Egypt viciously before the investigations end, " The Pro-Sisi TV host told TV host Sayed Ali on Tuesday apologizing for "unintended gaffe'."I did not mean that he should go to hell but I meant that they made lose sympathy with him May God bless his soul" She added blaming the whole matter o the mistranslation.
Rania Mahmoud Yassin : I did not mean !!
Earlier this week, Rania made headlines in Egypt when she appeared in a video from her Nigh TV show on Private owned Pro-regime "Al-Hadath TV channel" saying what is equivalent "he can go to hell."
She also reminded us that he was not the first victim of murder in the world.
Speaking nervously and angrily, Rania said that she used to feel sympathy with Regeni who was tortured and killed but not anymore thanks to the Western bias.
"There are mafias in the United States and Italy that kill people" She reminded us.
Rania Yassin slams Regeni and West
The Pro-regime TV host was originally speaking about the Reuters controversy following its report about Regeni last week.
In an important development , the Azbakia police station Sheriff turned to be the one who filed a report against Reuters. Reuters' Cairo bureau chief Michael Georgy left the country.
Late Giulio Regeni
The famous news agency says that he left the country on a business trip whereas Egyptian Pro-media says that he left the country for fear of legal consequences , a thing which Reuters denies.
Reuters is still sticking to what it published exclusively about Regeni.
Back to Rania Yassin and her stupid statements. Well, she made it in Italy in the worst way ever Monday when a clip from her daily show was translated into Italian and published in the most famous Italian news websites.
It was already making rounds in Egypt but honestly, we hoped that it would never reach Italy but it was too late.
The daughter of famous veteran actor Mahmoud Yassin , Rania tried to be an actress but it seems that she did no have success as she did not continue acting.
Only last year ,we found out that she became a TV host in a Pro-regime TV channel called Al-Assama where she had own epic moments that made her famous for some time every couple of months.
The first time people knew that Rania Yassin became a TV host when she kicked out on air an atheist she was hosting in her morning daily show.
Rania Kicking out an atheist on air.
That epic moment when she hosted  astrologer and the Nostradamus of Arabs aka Ahmed Shahin who claimed that he was able to summon spirits from the other world on air.
The famous astronomer who claimed to speak to aliens summoned on air the spirit of late President Sadat who told him that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was going to be assassinated Ramadan 2016 "June"
Shahin and his predictions
It was pure madness !!!
Some said that this segment made her lose her job in Al-Assama.
Months later , she moved to Al-Hadath TV that no one watches for real.
I do not have Al-Hadath Al-Masry TV channel and I do not know even the name of her TV show.
Even Pro-Regime newspaper Al-Watan went to the street and asked the people if they knew the name of her show and they answered that they did not know its name or even know it !!
Al-Watan asks people : Do you know the name of Rania's show ?
Only one person said that he knew from the internet and I do not need to guess he saw only the two clips above.

Now to the dear Italian people , I would like to hint out that Rania Yassin does not represent the general view of the majority Egyptian people.

I would dare and say that the majority of the Egyptian people are puzzled on how the Italian government is angry  for one Italian , simply because we do not have such thing in Egypt.
Recently and after the tragic murder of Regeni, the Egyptian officials above them Egyptian President for the Egyptians who get killed or disappeared in Europe especially like for instance Adel Moawad in Italy and lately Sharif Habib in the UK.

Late 21 -yeas old Sharif Habib was an Egyptian-British young man who died on Monday in a suspected arson attack in London that was being investigated. May God bless his soul.

We knew about him on Tuesday when hashtags launched by Pro-Sisi supporters who posted a wrong name as well the photos of torched bodies from Syria as the photo of late Habib. They also reminded the British authorities of unsolved murder cases involving Egyptians killed in London especially : Soad Hosni , Ashraf Marwan and Al-Lithy Nassaf.

I hate to break the news but specifically in those three cases, the Egyptian authorities are the main suspect according to the popular conspiracy theories.
Late Sharif  Habib
Habib,whose family reportedly lives in the UK for 40 years now died on the same day he was supposed to present his documents to the Royal Military academy Sandhurst according to his sister who spoke to the Evening Standard.
The Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs and Egyptian presidency issued statements calling the British authorities to investigate the case and to cooperate with Egyptian authorities.
The Egyptian House of Representatives' members slammed the West over its double standards comparing Habib to Regeni.
Yes, it is all about Regeni for real and not about Sharif Habib or any other Egyptian citizen killed or died abroad.
Also, last week, UK's Foreign Common Office "FCO" designated Egypt as one of 30 priority countries for intervention in its 2015 human rights report.
Here is the statement of the FCO to the parliament.
I feel sick on how Sharif Habib's death is being used politically.

Ahmed Abdullah
Personally , I am worried that Habib's death would be an arson hate crime and that he was being mistaken for some Middle Eastern Muslim guy because of his name.
People ignore the fact that the British authorities are investigating the case already because he was a British citizen.
Back to Regeni or rather his family.
The Regenis issued a statement to express their concern over the arrest of Ahmed Abdallah , the head of the Egyptian Commission for human rights and Freedoms as part of the crackdown against activists before April 25 protests.
Abdullah was the legal advisor of the Regenis in Cairo.
We are losing Regeni's case not only because the Egyptian government is too slow to reveal the truth "if we are speaking about good intentions" but because of all those wrong messages sent from Cairo to Rome and to the rest of the world.
Attacking international media, Pro-regime media slams the victim and arresting the Regenis' legal advisor in Cairo plus that attitude "Regeni as killed in Egypt but Egyptians disappear and get killed in European countries" are all wrong messages.

Those detainees related numbers speak about huge problem in Egypt now

$
0
0
The Front to Defend Egypt's protesters "FDEP" issued a very alarming statistics on Thursday about political detainees arrested in the past two weeks by security forces over Tiran and Sanafir islands.
On April 25 , Egyptian protester hiding in Massaha square from security
forces "by Mohamed El-Shahed/Getty Images" 

According to the grassroots movement made to defend protesters in Egypt after 2011 , in the past two weeks not less than 1200 people were arrested in Egypt because of Tiran and Sanafir islands.
Here are the numbers the Front published in Front's statement :
  • 1277 cases of arrest and detention have been recorded from 15 to 27 April 2016 in 22 governorates , specifically at 91 police stations.
  • 1277 documented cases of arrest include 577 arrest cases that  have been officially charged and referred to the prosecution , 618 arrest cases that have been released without charges and 81 unknown cases as their legal situation is unclear.
  • Most cases were documented on 25 April where 711 cases of arrests have been counted then on 15 Aril with 386 cases ,22 April with 87 cases and 24 April with 37 cases.
  • When it comes to age pattern , 1225 adults have been reportedly arrested vs. 52 juveniles arrested
  • 1170 were males and 107 were females.
These numbers are from 15 April to 27 April. The numbers were updated earlier 28 April.


Here is a spreadsheet with all the documented cases gathered by the "FDEP".

On Thursday , Giza prosecution referred 109 people to misdemeanor court over the 25 April protests. Some lawyers say that the number increased into 207 !!!

On Thursday,  Egypt's journalists presented 17 legal complaints to Prosecutor General against the minister of interior Magdy Abdel Ghafer over the violations committed by the security forces against journalists on 25 April.
A photo showing journalists and photographers protesters
at the General Prosecutor office, Downtown Cairo on Thursday
By Asmaa Nassar
Journalists organized a rally from their syndicate to the office of the Prosecutor General on that day.
According to the officials of the Journalists syndicate, there had been 47 journalists that were arrested on 25 April while doing their job. They are released now except 2 journalists currently detained.
Journalism is not a crime : Egyptian journalists tell the world
by Mohamed El Ra3y
You must know that there is a lot of confusion about the arrests taking place in Egypt in the past two weeks because there are reportedly arbitrary arrests in the streets.

Here is a short video showing a young man wearing blue shirt walking in the street on 25 April was arrested suddenly. "Originally shot by Al-Watan TV"

via GIPHY
Young men are worried now that they can get arrested over their mobile phone inspections and offensive anti-Sisi pictures or photos are found !!!
Not to mention the crackdown is widened to include lawyers and human rights activists.
Those numbers show a big problem. It is not about the two isles as it seems.
It is about that fact the regime seriously does not want youth to return back to the streets for any political reason what so ever.
Today it is for the two islands , tomorrow it will be for freedoms !! The regime knows it starts with a little crack in the wall and it does not want repeat Mubarak's regime according to their point of view.
Of course , what the Egyptian regime is doing now will make things worse.

Happy Orthodox Easter

DSC01695 [Flickr]

DSC01694 [Flickr]


DSC01693 [Flickr]

DSC01690 [Flickr]

DSC01688 [Flickr]

$
0
0

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

DSC01688

Egypt's Spring Flowers Fair 2016.
Using flowers formation as flag of Egypt , an Egyptian flowers company shows its products.

And Egypt's security stormed Journalists syndicate on Mayday

$
0
0
And not any syndicate , it is the Egyptian journalists syndicate.
Oh yes , from a couple of hours ago it was announced that security forces stormed the Journalists syndicate in Cairo to arrest two journalists who were having a sit-in inside the syndicate.
The news is confirmed by the head of the syndicate, journalist Yahia Qallash who stated that at least
50 Egyptian police personnel wearing plainclothes stormed the syndicate to arrest journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud El-Sakka attacking the syndicate's security.
Journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud El-Sakka at the syndicate
on Saturday carrying #Journalism_is_not crime
by Mohamed El-Raay
Both journalists Badr and El-Sakka were having a sit-in at the syndicate to object the arrest warrants issue for them and how their houses were stormed by security forces twice in the past weeks. Amr Badr , the Nasserite founder of "Yanair" news portal and Mahmoud El-Sakka, who works a journalist in the same portal are officially accused a number of charges above them spreading rumors about Tiran and Sanafir being Egyptian in the ongoing crackdown against political activists.
Yes, both Badr and El-Sakka are arrested as part of the current crackdown because of Tiran and Sanafir.
Egypt's ministry of interior is saying that it did not storm the syndicate and that only 4 police officers entered the syndicate peacefully. It  even added that El-Sakka and Badr left the syndicate willingly.
The ministry also says that both Badr and El-Sakka are not members of the syndicate to justify what happened.
I do not know about El-Sakka but Amr Badr ran for the Syndicate's board in the last elections.
Now we are speaking about a new level of escalation in the crackdown as it is unprecedented and illegal.
Oh yes, it turned to be illegal to storm or raid the syndicate like that without the presence of the Prosecution representative and the head of the syndicate must be there according to articles 69,70 and 71 of the current Journalism law in Egypt.
This is the first time in the history of the 75-years old syndicate something like this happens.
Today is the Mayday and on Tuesday, we will celebrate the International Press Freedom Day.
The worst irony of all is that the Egyptian journalists syndicate is celebrating its 75 anniversary this month !!
Earlier Sunday , already security forces locked down the Journalists syndicate street to end the Mayday conference planned there for fear of protests.
The journalists syndicate and its staircases have returned to become Egypt's only safe venue for protests after the Protests law.
The Journalists syndicate has been under security siege since 25 April already.
Most of the Egyptian journalists are furious.
The head of journalists syndicate, Yahia Qallash is demanding President El-Sisi to intervene and to dismiss the minister of interior.

Khaled El-Balshy , the head of the Freedoms committee in the syndicate is demanding an urgent meeting for the syndicate's board.
Even Pro-Sisi journalists from the big names are expressing their anger.
Close to the Presidency as well to the army , Yasser Razk claimed on TV that the Egyptian Presidency aka President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi did not know that the ministry of interior or the security forces would storm the Journalists syndicate.
The editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar newspaper also claimed that the Presidency was against what happened and that he held those responsible for what happened accountable.
This is even worse !! I mean claiming that the president does not know what is happening in his country is a scandal.
I know in the end of the day both Magdy Abdel Ghafer and Sharif Ismail will take all the punches.

After journalists began to speak , the ministry of interior ended that security siege around the syndicate as it was banning the non-members from entering its street in Downtown Cairo.
Now, tens of journalists and human rights activists began a sit-in at the syndicate.
The beginning of the sit-in by Hadeer Makkawy
 They also started a small protest outside the syndicate chanting against Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Interior minister.
At the journalists syndicate
At the Journalists syndicate from couple of hours by Ahmed Harbia 
At the journalists syndicate
Journalists and activists sitting at the famous staircase.
by Hadeer Makkawy
Journalists and activists protest at Journalists syndicate
by Wael Mamdouh 
Journalists chanting here against state security at the syndicate after midnight.
Several political parties like Egyptian Social Democratic Party, Strong Egypt Party and Constitution Party declared their rejection for what happened and solidarity with journalists. A Couple of MPs like Haitham El-Hariri.
In other words, the same usual Pro-25 January group.
Here are the rest of the photos from the Midnight protests at the heart of Downtown Cairo.

Happy Sham El-Nassim 2016

$
0
0
Happy Sham El-Nassim
via  Instagram

Happy Sham El-Nassim from Egypt to the whole world. We are supposed to celebrate our National and oldest spring Feast today but as a journalist and blogger , I am following what is taking place at Egypt's Journalists syndicate.
I was supposed to publish a pictorial post about my visit to the Egypt's Annual Flowers show 2016 but I got busy in the syndicate and that escalation happened last night.
Anyhow , here is another photo from the Flowers show 2016

And of course, the National anthem of Sham El-Nassim by Soad Hosni

DSC01789 [Flickr]

DSC01790 [Flickr]


DSC01791 [Flickr]

DSC01784 [Flickr]

DSC01785 [Flickr]

$
0
0

Kodak Agfa posted a photo:

DSC01785

At Egypt's Annual Spring Flowers Show 2016. Colored Cactus

Happy International Press Freedom Day Dear Egypt !!

$
0
0
What a way to celebrate the International Press Freedom Day in Egypt !??
Earlier Monday , the Egyptian prosecution decided to detain journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud on charges of "plotting to overthrow the regime" , "spreading false news" and "plotting to suspend the constitution" !!!
Egyptian journalists protest at their syndicate on Monday by AP
Sakka 15 days pending investigations
I understand the part concerning "spreading false news" which is related on how both Amr Badr and Mahmoud Sakka published articles about how Tiran and Sanafir are Egyptian islands.
Interestingly, the Prosecution is accusing them of spreading rumors through their website "Yanair" News Portal which means we are speaking about publishing-related crime as well freedom of expression-related crime.
Yanair News portal published that the two islands are Egyptian in the same way state-owned newspapers like Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar newspapers published that the two Red Sea islands are Saudi !!
What I truly do not understand here are the charges of "plotting to overthrow the regime" and a "plot to suspend the constitution" !!!!
Badr and Sakka are the latest Egyptian journalists to be in detention. We are having a breaking record here because according to estimation we got over not less than 20 Egyptian journalists and photographers detained according to Committee to Protect Journalists.

Earlier this year , Mahmoud El-Sakka was arrested by security forces during the crackdown against activists before the 25 January revolution's 5th anniversary.
El-Sakka said after his release from detention that he was tortured. Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali is concerned about his safety.
On the other hand , the crisis between the Egyptian Journalists syndicate and the Ministry of interior is escalating as the ministry insists despite the witnesses' testimonies that it did not break the law or storm the syndicate on Sunday.
The syndicate board called for a General assembly on Wednesday while it is still insisting on its demands : Dismissal of Magdy Abdel Ghafer, the minister of interior and the release of detained journalists.
The Journalists syndicate's sit-in is still and tens of journalists still protest against President Sisi and interior ministry.
The security forces are still besieging the syndicate and its street.
Pro-regime thugs are also attacking the syndicate.
A thug lady hurling rocks at the syndicate by Mahmoud Abo El-dahab
After a couple of days, Egypt's House of Representatives is going to discuss the new Press law and things will get even more complicated.
Interestingly , Egypt's biggest State-owned newspaper's Op-Ed on Tuesday called for the dismissal of Magdy Abdel Ghafer. It is unusual to see such Op-Ed in Al-Ahram Daily.
People are speculating that Magdy Abdel Ghafer is going to be dismissed soon because Al-Ahram Daily Newspaper won't publish an Op-Ed like that that.
Al-Ahram Op-Ed about Giulio Regeni was also interesting and nothing happened.
We will see if Abdel Ghafer is going to leave or not.
Happy International Press Freedom Day.

DSC01814 [Flickr]

Viewing all 4293 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images