kolonagaza7
Al-Ahwani: The release of prisoners in military courts on the anniversary of 25 January
Shukr: The police raid of NGOs and fabrication of protesters’ court cases has the goal of breaking the spirit of the movement’s resistance
With the participation of fishermen’s syndicates of Kafr el Sheikh, Bahria, el Isma’iliyah, Damietta, Daqahliyah, el Giza, el Qalyubiyah, el Minufiyah, the fishermen taking part in the meeting of the Land Center for Human Rights held on 5 January 2012 announced the formation of a union for small fishermen in lakes, rivers, and seas. 53 fishermen, researchers and those interested in fishermen’s rights attended the meeting.
The meeting began with a first session that revolved around the Egyptian revolution and the right to organize. Karam Saber of the Land Center led the discussion and stated that Egyptians’ rights to a fair wage, striking and demonstrating, in addition to the release of prisoners and detainees in military courts will not stop the authorities’ threats or the increase in oppression.
Perhaps they will learn from the lessons of 25 January: the disposed president, minister of the interior, and the rest of his entourage and prisoners. Now they fabricate court cases for the protesters and suppress collective anger without understanding that Egyptians descended into the street and will not leave until reclaiming their rights, robbed public resources and wealth and trial of the killers of the revolutionaries and guaranty of the rights of all Egyptian people to freedom, social justice, suitable work and all civil, economic, social and cultural rights.
Dr. Ahmed al-Ahwani, professor in the faculty of engineering, spoke during the session and confirmed the developments and stages of the revolution during 2011 and explained the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ (SCAF) stubbornness after applying judges’ ruling that stolen business sector companies be returned to the people’s ownership. He demanded the cease of trying and jailing citizens in military courts - in which the number of prisoners amounts to 16,000 - and trying the killers of revolutionaries and thieves of public resources. He said that the revolution would never turn back and also pointed to the SCAF’s procedures that are leading to an increase in the number of killed, injured and arrested. Egyptians’ anger and demand for their rights will not cease.
He said that the people would descend into the street on 25 January 2012 to fulfill their demands, first of which is the release of all prisoners in military courts and second, the abrogation of the legal decree criminalizing strikes and protests. He stated that that doesn’t deny that other forces make their own democratic and civil demands.
He pointed to the unfortunate events that SCAF caused in 2011 of which the most important were violently breaking up the sit in at the faculty of media, conducting virginity tests of women, the killing in Maspero, Muhammad Mahmoud, the Ministry Council and many other events which all confirm the tyranny and failure of SCAF in managing the affairs of the country this past year.
Talal Shukr, vice president of the union of independent syndicates, spoke about the principles of syndicate work and the importance of syndicates in defending the rights of its members. He then pointed to the negative role of the old workers union and talked about developments of the workers’ movement during 2011 in the beginning of the rising strikes in January and February, which led to the fall of Mubarak and his entourage. Pressure from the workers’ movement forced the state to announce the principle of trade unions’ freedoms, which led to the creation of hundreds of independent syndicates. Then he spoke about features of the independent trade union movement, its democratic and mass support and justice and rights of Egyptians to a decent, independent and better life.
He pointed to his refusal of the brutal attack that the state security apparatus waged on NGOs alleging that they received foreign funding. Its true motive was to muzzle the mouths of these organizations, stop exposing the practices of SCAF and the interim government’s apparatuses and end support for all Egyptian workers, farmers, fishermen and producers.
He stressed that the most important labor forms and frameworks that appeared during the last couple years during 2011 the most important were
- The independent union for syndicates
- Conference of the Egypt Union
- Other independent syndicates and unions
- The old workers union
He stated the three tasks of the independent trade union movements during the old period:
- Issue a project of trade union freedoms
- Issue a new labor law guaranteeing a minimum wage and workers’ social and economic rights
- Issue a negotiated comprehensive document which includes the participation of trade union independence movements in what concerns all legal affairs in labor and Egyptian rights
At the end of his speech Shukr emphasized that the future is subject to strife and working class struggle to dispossess of their rights.
There was a question and answer session for the audience to address some concepts raised during the lectures, but all confirmed the necessity of the work in reclaiming the stolen Egyptian revolution to guarantee a decent, independent and better life for all Egyptians.
In the second session which Land Center researcher and political activist Abdullah al-Ma’moun directed, he presented a paper on water resources and the manner of its maintenance and development and abundance of fish in Egypt. Then a group of fishermen from Borolus, el Isma’iliyah, el Manzala, Edko, al-Giza, Kafer el Sheikh, and Bahria spoke about their problems which consisted of:
The negative role of the water sources police and the organization of fishing resources
- The reckless acts of some fishing groups
- Violations of fishermen’s rights
- The seizure of openings on the water and water fiefs by the biggest fishermen supported by thugs
- The slowness of state employees
- The continuation of theft
- A lack of cleaning of seas and lakes
- Spreading of corruption between offices of the organization of fishing resources
- Arrest of fishermen
- Seizure of their boats
- Issue of decisions to arbitrarily stop fishing in some lakes and streams at night or some endowments during the year
- Imposition of royalties on small fishermen without consideration of the fishermen’s circumstances or paying compensation for damages.
- The continuation of the sale of water and deprivation of millions of fishermen from the one work opportunity for them and their families
The participation of the audience revolved around the necessity of applying solutions to these problems through the unions and organizations to support fishing rights to safe fishing and a better life.
The last session began with the lecture of Dr. Dalia Amara, researcher at the Land Center and political activist, who stressed a number of concepts and the way to solve fishermen’s problems through planning stages and analysis of exterior and interior structures, strong points, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and syndical challenges. She also said that goals could be realized by preparing an action plan for the short and long term and coordinating with all interested parties in supporting small fishermen’s rights. She then moderated the discussion with the audience to derive the important problems of fishermen of which the majority revolve around:
- Removal of fines and encroachments of lakes and rivers
- Cleaning lakes and the Nile and opening and cleaning the straits
- Forbid illegal fishing
- Stop the outlawing of night fishing or some months unless fishermen are compensated
- The elimination of all kinds of pollution
- Permitting unions to acquire fishing permits and receive good land for fish farming and its distribution to small fishermen and graduating youth
- Canceling required insurance for fishing boats
- Distribution of government farms and property of the authorities and big investors to small fishermen and workers
- Study of the subject of fish cages and the vision of the fishermen’s union for working together
- Setting up small fishermen’s unions in different fishing regions in Egypt
- Availability of requirements for fishing and fish production
- Open the door to issue fishing licenses and boating licenses through the unions
The audience agreed during this session to execute the comprehensive work plan to support and protect small fishermen’s rights this month through the following:
- Presenting complaints and demands to officials and organizing shared meetings with them to agree on programs to resolve problems
- Complete the registration of fishermen’s unions in Bahria, Kafr el Sheikh, el Isma’iliyah, el Daqahliyah, el Minufiyah, Fayyoum governorates and other places of fishing.
- Submitting the union of small fishermen’s syndicates papers to officials and completing registration procedures.
- Management of media campaigns to exposure violations which different authorities practice against fishermen and advertising documents and demands of small fishermen to safe fishing.
- Organizing sit-ins and protests in front of the organization’s offices to stop violation of small fishermen’s rights in Egypt.
- Complete an agreement on organizing meetings through the syndicates
- Commission participants of the Land Center to manage the dialogue on listed methods of the union with different syndicates until its decision and depositing at the ministry by the different syndicates before their yearly conference on 19 January 2012. Also commission the center’s audience with posting the results of the meeting to support small fishermen and their syndicates’ rights to safe fishing and to a decent, independent and better life.
المجد للشهداء
عاش كفاح العمال والفلاحين والصيادين
وكل المنتجين
العنوان : 76 شارع الجمهورية شقة 67 ـ الدور الثامن بجوار جامع الفتح ـ الأزبكية -القاهرة
Shukr: The police raid of NGOs and fabrication of protesters’ court cases has the goal of breaking the spirit of the movement’s resistance
With the participation of fishermen’s syndicates of Kafr el Sheikh, Bahria, el Isma’iliyah, Damietta, Daqahliyah, el Giza, el Qalyubiyah, el Minufiyah, the fishermen taking part in the meeting of the Land Center for Human Rights held on 5 January 2012 announced the formation of a union for small fishermen in lakes, rivers, and seas. 53 fishermen, researchers and those interested in fishermen’s rights attended the meeting.
The meeting began with a first session that revolved around the Egyptian revolution and the right to organize. Karam Saber of the Land Center led the discussion and stated that Egyptians’ rights to a fair wage, striking and demonstrating, in addition to the release of prisoners and detainees in military courts will not stop the authorities’ threats or the increase in oppression.
Perhaps they will learn from the lessons of 25 January: the disposed president, minister of the interior, and the rest of his entourage and prisoners. Now they fabricate court cases for the protesters and suppress collective anger without understanding that Egyptians descended into the street and will not leave until reclaiming their rights, robbed public resources and wealth and trial of the killers of the revolutionaries and guaranty of the rights of all Egyptian people to freedom, social justice, suitable work and all civil, economic, social and cultural rights.
Dr. Ahmed al-Ahwani, professor in the faculty of engineering, spoke during the session and confirmed the developments and stages of the revolution during 2011 and explained the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ (SCAF) stubbornness after applying judges’ ruling that stolen business sector companies be returned to the people’s ownership. He demanded the cease of trying and jailing citizens in military courts - in which the number of prisoners amounts to 16,000 - and trying the killers of revolutionaries and thieves of public resources. He said that the revolution would never turn back and also pointed to the SCAF’s procedures that are leading to an increase in the number of killed, injured and arrested. Egyptians’ anger and demand for their rights will not cease.
He said that the people would descend into the street on 25 January 2012 to fulfill their demands, first of which is the release of all prisoners in military courts and second, the abrogation of the legal decree criminalizing strikes and protests. He stated that that doesn’t deny that other forces make their own democratic and civil demands.
He pointed to the unfortunate events that SCAF caused in 2011 of which the most important were violently breaking up the sit in at the faculty of media, conducting virginity tests of women, the killing in Maspero, Muhammad Mahmoud, the Ministry Council and many other events which all confirm the tyranny and failure of SCAF in managing the affairs of the country this past year.
Talal Shukr, vice president of the union of independent syndicates, spoke about the principles of syndicate work and the importance of syndicates in defending the rights of its members. He then pointed to the negative role of the old workers union and talked about developments of the workers’ movement during 2011 in the beginning of the rising strikes in January and February, which led to the fall of Mubarak and his entourage. Pressure from the workers’ movement forced the state to announce the principle of trade unions’ freedoms, which led to the creation of hundreds of independent syndicates. Then he spoke about features of the independent trade union movement, its democratic and mass support and justice and rights of Egyptians to a decent, independent and better life.
He pointed to his refusal of the brutal attack that the state security apparatus waged on NGOs alleging that they received foreign funding. Its true motive was to muzzle the mouths of these organizations, stop exposing the practices of SCAF and the interim government’s apparatuses and end support for all Egyptian workers, farmers, fishermen and producers.
He stressed that the most important labor forms and frameworks that appeared during the last couple years during 2011 the most important were
- The independent union for syndicates
- Conference of the Egypt Union
- Other independent syndicates and unions
- The old workers union
He stated the three tasks of the independent trade union movements during the old period:
- Issue a project of trade union freedoms
- Issue a new labor law guaranteeing a minimum wage and workers’ social and economic rights
- Issue a negotiated comprehensive document which includes the participation of trade union independence movements in what concerns all legal affairs in labor and Egyptian rights
At the end of his speech Shukr emphasized that the future is subject to strife and working class struggle to dispossess of their rights.
There was a question and answer session for the audience to address some concepts raised during the lectures, but all confirmed the necessity of the work in reclaiming the stolen Egyptian revolution to guarantee a decent, independent and better life for all Egyptians.
In the second session which Land Center researcher and political activist Abdullah al-Ma’moun directed, he presented a paper on water resources and the manner of its maintenance and development and abundance of fish in Egypt. Then a group of fishermen from Borolus, el Isma’iliyah, el Manzala, Edko, al-Giza, Kafer el Sheikh, and Bahria spoke about their problems which consisted of:
The negative role of the water sources police and the organization of fishing resources
- The reckless acts of some fishing groups
- Violations of fishermen’s rights
- The seizure of openings on the water and water fiefs by the biggest fishermen supported by thugs
- The slowness of state employees
- The continuation of theft
- A lack of cleaning of seas and lakes
- Spreading of corruption between offices of the organization of fishing resources
- Arrest of fishermen
- Seizure of their boats
- Issue of decisions to arbitrarily stop fishing in some lakes and streams at night or some endowments during the year
- Imposition of royalties on small fishermen without consideration of the fishermen’s circumstances or paying compensation for damages.
- The continuation of the sale of water and deprivation of millions of fishermen from the one work opportunity for them and their families
The participation of the audience revolved around the necessity of applying solutions to these problems through the unions and organizations to support fishing rights to safe fishing and a better life.
The last session began with the lecture of Dr. Dalia Amara, researcher at the Land Center and political activist, who stressed a number of concepts and the way to solve fishermen’s problems through planning stages and analysis of exterior and interior structures, strong points, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and syndical challenges. She also said that goals could be realized by preparing an action plan for the short and long term and coordinating with all interested parties in supporting small fishermen’s rights. She then moderated the discussion with the audience to derive the important problems of fishermen of which the majority revolve around:
- Removal of fines and encroachments of lakes and rivers
- Cleaning lakes and the Nile and opening and cleaning the straits
- Forbid illegal fishing
- Stop the outlawing of night fishing or some months unless fishermen are compensated
- The elimination of all kinds of pollution
- Permitting unions to acquire fishing permits and receive good land for fish farming and its distribution to small fishermen and graduating youth
- Canceling required insurance for fishing boats
- Distribution of government farms and property of the authorities and big investors to small fishermen and workers
- Study of the subject of fish cages and the vision of the fishermen’s union for working together
- Setting up small fishermen’s unions in different fishing regions in Egypt
- Availability of requirements for fishing and fish production
- Open the door to issue fishing licenses and boating licenses through the unions
The audience agreed during this session to execute the comprehensive work plan to support and protect small fishermen’s rights this month through the following:
- Presenting complaints and demands to officials and organizing shared meetings with them to agree on programs to resolve problems
- Complete the registration of fishermen’s unions in Bahria, Kafr el Sheikh, el Isma’iliyah, el Daqahliyah, el Minufiyah, Fayyoum governorates and other places of fishing.
- Submitting the union of small fishermen’s syndicates papers to officials and completing registration procedures.
- Management of media campaigns to exposure violations which different authorities practice against fishermen and advertising documents and demands of small fishermen to safe fishing.
- Organizing sit-ins and protests in front of the organization’s offices to stop violation of small fishermen’s rights in Egypt.
- Complete an agreement on organizing meetings through the syndicates
- Commission participants of the Land Center to manage the dialogue on listed methods of the union with different syndicates until its decision and depositing at the ministry by the different syndicates before their yearly conference on 19 January 2012. Also commission the center’s audience with posting the results of the meeting to support small fishermen and their syndicates’ rights to safe fishing and to a decent, independent and better life.
المجد للشهداء
عاش كفاح العمال والفلاحين والصيادين
وكل المنتجين
العنوان : 76 شارع الجمهورية شقة 67 ـ الدور الثامن بجوار جامع الفتح ـ الأزبكية -القاهرة
