Tag: kafr al-dawar

  • Kafr Al-Dawar detainee dies in police station

    Kafr Al-Dawar detainee dies in police station

    Salah Al-Basosy, a lawyer who was held in Kafr Al-Dawar police station, died Friday night, with his family accusing the police of wilful neglect in providing adequate medical care to him in detention.

    However, the Ministry of Interior said his death came of normal causes, as he suffered from hepatitis-C. Members of Al-Basosy’s family demonstrated in front of the police station, accusing the officers of causing his death, according to the ministry. Five family members were arrested.

    The 50-year-old lawyer was a father of four children, and was arrested last March, according to the Egyptian Coordination for Freedom and Rights.

    Following Al-Basosy’s death, his relatives gathered around the police station chanting against the police, which caused the police forces to clash with them, leading to arrests, Al-Haqanya Law Center reported.

    Al-Basosy’s family told local media that they wanted to visit him after receiving news that he suffered from intense bleeding, but the station officials claimed that his condition was stable, and refused to transfer him to a hospital.

    The Beheira Security Directorate denied the accusations, stating that all prisoners who suffer from serious illnesses are transferred to the nearest hospital and are given the necessary healthcare.

    Despite official reports on the existence of suitable medical care in prisons and detention centres, deaths in Egyptian police custody continue to be common, amid constant criticism from local and international NGOs.

    In August, a National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) delegation that visited Tora Prison claimed they witnessed no major violations of prisoners’ rights during their visit. The delegation made only minor recommendations, including changing old beds and creating a shaded area for families queuing to visit.

    The NCHR delegation had visited the prison complex following numerous reports of violations and deaths. Earlier in August, Essam Derbala, a former Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya leader, died due to what the Islamist group claimed was intentional neglect of medical care. The authorities, however, argued that his death was caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure. Muslim Brotherhood member Farid Ismail also died amid similar accusations of intentional neglect.

    Various NCHR members, however, criticised the visit and the way it was organised. Mohamed Abdel Qodous, an NCHR member who was part of the delegation, added that the prison administration knew of the visit beforehand and prepared for it appropriately.  He wrote in a public statement: “For example, the prisoner’s family would obtain a visit permit and the administration registers it in the logs, then prevents the family from entering the prison.”

    Furthermore, several members walked out of a press conference following the visit, in objection to the findings reported during the conference.

    The El-Nadeem Centre for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence documented 65 torture cases inside prisons in September, according to a report issued Friday.

    The report documented cases of torture inside prisons, forced disappearances, and inadequate healthcare inside detention facilities, among other police violations towards prisoners across Egypt. The centre cited multiple sources, such as personal testimonies by the families of detainees, rights organisations statements, and news reports.

    In the strongly-worded report, El Nadeem Centre urged the government to take responsibility for the health and treatment of detainees in Egyptian custody.

  • 3 suspended at hospital after pregnant woman was refused service

    Three personnel at the Kafr Al-Dawar Hospital, in the Beheira Governorate, were suspended Monday by the Ministry of Health after a pregnant woman was refused service at the hospital.

    The refusal to treat her led to her giving birth outside the hospital entrance.

    According to a Ministry statement, the director of the hospital, a resident doctor, and a gynaecologist have been suspended. The three medical personnel are under investigation as the ministry looks for evidence of wrongdoing in the case.

    The statement added that Health Minister Adel Adawi ordered the investigation “as soon as he found out about the incident”, deciding to refer the case to administrative prosecution.

    “The result [of the investigation] will be published immediately after its completion,” the statement read. The statement emphasised that the ministry would “never allow” any of its personnel to fail in their role as caregivers, especially in emergency cases.

    The suspensions are significant as the hospital director also serves as the head of the gynaecology department. The ministry’s response was rapid after pictures of the incident spread on social media, provoking outrage from viewers.

  • Mahalla textile workers’ strike enters eighth day

    Mahalla textile workers’ strike enters eighth day

    The owners of the Bolvera spinning and weaving plant in Alexandria have threatened to withhold wages if workers continue strike action (File photo by Daily News Egypt)
    An estimated 20,000 workers at the Holding Company for Cotton Spinning and Weaving in Mahalla continued their eight-day-long strike Sunday
    (DNE File Photo)

    An estimated 20,000 workers at the Holding Company for Cotton Spinning and Weaving in Mahalla continued their eight-day-long strike Sunday, demanding late wages, the resignation of company Chairman Abdel-Alim Hassan, and the replacement of the company’s commissioner, Abdel Fattah Al-Zoghby.

    The company’s losses are already estimated between EGP 15m and EGP 20m, Al-Zoghby told state-owned MENA.

    Workers from Holding Company for Cotton Spinning and Weaving were joined on Sunday by thousands of Kafr Al-Dawar employees, who protested in solidarity with the Mahalla workers. According to the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), the workers in Kafr Al-Dawar are also demanding the new government-sanctioned minimum wage for workers in state-owned companies.

    “We hope that all the members of the media are honest and able to deliver our message to the Egyptian people,” a press release from the Mahalla workers read, adding that the workers “demand justice not only for themselves, but for all workers in Egypt.”

    Dalia Mousa, ECESR coordinator for the Mahalla workers, told DNE Sunday that security forces can break up workers’ protests based on a 2012 law issued by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that bans sit-ins and strikes.

    The strike also violates the recently issued Protest Law, signed into action by interim president Adly Mansour, which prohibits gatherings of more than ten people without authorisation from the Ministry of Interior.

    The workers’ bonuses for two months total EGP 155m. The new government set the monthly minimum income for public employees at EGP 1,200 a month, while presently there are thousands of workers that earn only EGP 500 a month.

    Management of the state-owned textile company promised workers that they would receive their bonuses late Saturday evening, but the workers have yet to receive their promised wages, so the strike continued unabated.

    “Our strike will continue in full capacity, until all our demands are met, and we will protect each other,” Mohamed Fathy said on Saturday.

    An estimated 20,000 workers are taking part in the ongoing strikes at the Mahalla textile factories.

    Mahalla workers staged a crippling strike in 2006 to demand bonuses and better wages, which inspired numerous other strikes by factory workers across the country.

    Additional reporting by AbdelHalim H. AbdAllah

  • Spinning and weaving workers at Kafr Al-Dawar strike in solidarity with Mahalla workers

    Thousands of workers from Kafr Al-Dawar Spinning and Weaving Company started an open strike on Sunday in solidarity with Mahalla workers demanding minimum wage for all workers, reported the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR).

    The striking workers demand the resignation of the company’s Chairman Adel Ebeid and his aid Gaber Gabbass. The strike started with the morning shift and is scheduled to continue with the other shifts.

    The workers started a strike last week demanding the late bonuses of 2013, but the strike was adjourned on Tuesday after the company’s management hung a poster that the bonuses would be delivered last Thursday.

    Meanwhile, Mahalla workers continued their strike Sunday demanding the resignation of the Abdel-Alim Hassan, chairman of the Holding Company for Cotton Spinning and Weaving, the replacement of Abdel Fattah Al-Zoghby, the commissioner of the Spinning and Weaving Company, with an elected administrative board, and the re-election of the workers syndicate that has been there since 2005.

    Al-Zoghby told state-owned MENA that the company’s losses from the strike ranged between EGP 15m and EGP 20m, along with jeopardising deals with the company’s clients.

    Dalia Mousa, ECESR coordinator of the workers’ file, said security forces can break up workers sit-ins based on the 2012 law issued by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces that bans strikes and sit-ins, adding that the Protest Law prohibits protests without permits, which makes the workers “trapped” between both laws.

    Mousa said security forces have techniques to force the workers to get back to work, such as detaining their leaders, threatening to dismiss the striking workers and even find replacements to the striking workers.

    ECESR also reported that workers strikes are ongoing in other sectors.

    Dozens of workers from the Egyptian Real Estate Company for Land Reclamation organised a protest in front of the press syndicate demanding to be subordinated to the Holding Company for Land Reclamation and Underground Water that was created in 2012 based on Kamal Al-Ganzoury Cabinet decision number 106. The workers of six companies involved in that sector are planning to organise a protest Wednesday demanding three months late wages that the holding company is responsible for delivering.

    Workers of the General Nile Company for Roads and Bridges started a partial strike on Sunday demanding implementation of the minimum wage, the delivery of amounts withheld from salaries to pension and insurance funds, the renewal of the workers transportation fleet, and fixated rates of temporary and daily employment.