Archive for Egyptian Consulate

Two Saudis arrested for shooting Egyptian, says Foreign Ministry

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November 11th, 2012

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Amr Roshdy said Sunday that two Saudis have been arrested for allegedly shooting an Egyptian citizen in Saudi Arabia following an argument.

He said the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah is following up on the case.

Doctors at Medina al-Monawarah hospital in Saudi Arabia removed a bullet from the Egyptian man's leg.

Adel al-Alfy, the Egyptian general consul in Jeddah, received a report on the incident, Roshy told reporters. The two suspects who were arrested live in the same building as the man who was shot. Police are still searching for others who were allegedly involved.

Alfy contacted the citizen to ensure that he was in a good health and inform him that the consulate is following his case. He delegated Yasser Elwany, the consulate’s legal adviser, to offer support and follow up on police efforts.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Egypt consulate resolves Saudi airport sit-in

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November 1st, 2012

The Egyptian Consulate in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah ended a half-day sit-in of 4000 Egyptian workers at Jeddah Airport late Wednesday. The Egyptian airport workers were protesting a Saudi citizen who slapped his Egyptian colleague, causing a brawl between the workers and airport security and the arrest of four of the Egyptian workers.
 
Egyptian Consul Adel al-Alfy sent a delegation to the airport on Wednesday afternoon to address the situation, according to Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram newspaper. The delegation's visit resulted in the Saudi worker apologizing to his Egyptian colleague. Airport security then released the four detained Egyptian workers.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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61 Egyptian pilgrims died during hajj

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October 31st, 2012

At least 61 Egyptian pilgrims died during the hajj this year, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Ali al-Ashiry said on Wednesday. Pilgrims who die in Mecca are normally buried in Medina upon approval of their families.

Ashiry also said the rest of the Egyptian pilgrims are fine, with no reported injuries or epidemic diseases. “The Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah follows up on the pilgrims until they return home,” he said.

Democratic Front Party Acting President Mohamed Abbas said on Sunday that the camps housing Egyptian pilgrims lack services. He said that the pilgrims have to stand in long queues for the toilets, or sometimes sleep in the open because sewage floods their tents.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday announced that the hajj was completed, and that 3 million pilgrims performed it this year.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Protesters attack Egyptian consulate in Benghazi

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October 24th, 2012

Demonstrators on Wednesday besieged the Egyptian consulate in Benghazi in eastern Libya in response to regulatory measures imposed by the consulate regarding visas to Egypt.

Twenty young men attacked the Libyan security guards, stole a pistol from one of them and fired in the air. They also destroyed the surveillance cameras that were placed at the entrance.

A Libyan journalist was assaulted when he tried to take pictures of the demonstrators.

The demonstrators were intermediaries who obtain visas for Libyan citizens for a commission.

A diplomatic source told AFP the protest erupted when the consulate decided to only grant visas directly to applicants, not through intermediaries.

The cost of a visa is 36 Libyan dinars, while an intermediary takes 150 Libyan dinars from applicants who prefer not to stand in long queues.

The police were near the consulate but did not interfere, as they were insulted by the demonstrators.

Edited translation from AFP Arabic

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Libyans attack Egyptian Consulate in Tripoli

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August 17th, 2012

Angry Libyans who wanted entry visas attacked the Egyptian Consulate in Libya Thursday after official working hours ended.

An official at the consulate said in a press statement, "A number of Libyan nationals destroyed the furniture of the main waiting room and attacked the staff in protest against not being able to get entry visas to Egyptian territory."

"Some citizens do not know the visa requires security approvals that take some time, and they were demanding that the consular staff work after the end of official working hours," the source said.

The source called on Libyan authorities to provide security officers for the consulate, which remains unguarded despite the consulate's previous requests.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
 
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Foreign Ministry denies Gizawy given death sentence in Saudi

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July 2nd, 2012

The Saudi General Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution has not yet issued an indictment in the case of Ahmed Mohamed Sarwat, who is known as Ahmed al-Gizawy, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Amr Roshdy said Monday.

Roshdy said the reports claiming that Gizawy had been given a death sentence are false and that he is yet to be tried, nor has a trial date been set.

He explained that interrogations had ended and that all sessions had been attended by a legal adviser from the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah. He added that Gizawy was allowed to call his family in Cairo to inform them of developments first hand.

Roshdy added that the assistant foreign minister for consular affairs had met with Gizawy’s wife, Shahenda Fathy, and sister to discuss the case and receive the documents related to the trial which will be delivered to Jeddah.

He said the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah will continue to closely follow the case in order to ensure that Gizawy receives a fair trial. He went on to say that the consulate is awaiting Fathy’s answer concerning the defense lawyer she wishes to hire on behalf of her husband.

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Foreign Ministry: Kuwait tops expat voting in last 2 days

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June 5th, 2012

Nearly 50,000 Egyptian expatriates voted in the last two days, with the Gulf nation of Kuwait recording the most voters, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said on its website.

Ministry spokesperson Amr Roshdy said in a statement published on the ministry’s website that the Egyptian Embassy in Kuwait received some 17,000 votes, followed by the Egyptian Embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, with about 10,000. The Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia recorded about 5,000 votes.

The Tuesday statement showed that some 5,000 Egyptians voted in Doha, Qatar and 3,000 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Egyptian Consulate in Milano, Italy topped participation among European countries with 1,500 voters.

The Foreign Ministry earlier reported that nearly 20,000 Egyptians went to the polls Sunday at Egyptian embassies and consulates abroad.

The Presidential Elections Commission website said the total number of Egyptians abroad registered to vote in the runoff is about 587,000. Out of those voters, 262,000 live in Saudi Arabia and 119,000 in Kuwait.

The voting period for Egyptians abroad is set to end on 9 June. The domestic vote is scheduled for 16 and 17 June.

Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsy led the first round of the presidential election with 24.4 percent of the vote, followed by former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq with 23.3 percent.

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Saudis barred lawyers from attending Gizawy questioning, wife says

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May 27th, 2012

The wife of Ahmed al-Gizawy, the Egyptian human rights activist and lawyer detained in Saudi Arabia on charges of drugs smuggling, has said Saudi authorities did not allow a lawyer to attend his questioning.

Shahenda al-Gizawy said Yasser Elwany, the legal adviser at the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah, had informed her that neither an Egyptian nor a Saudi lawyer were allowed to attend the sessions.

She told Al-Masry Al-Youm that several Egyptian and Saudi lawyers volunteered to defend her husband, but authorities did not let them.

“This raises doubts about investigations procedures,” she said.

Gizawy’s arrest on 17 April led to protests at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo, which led to the temporary withdrawal of Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed al-Qattan. Prior to his arrest, Gizawy had filed a lawsuit against Saudi authorities over their treatment of Egyptians.

The ambassador returned after an Egyptian parliamentary delegation visited the kingdom.

Shahenda al-Gizawy also said Egyptian consulate officials told her they hadn’t been able to review the indictment or decide on a legal solution because Saudi authorities have not allowed it.

Khaled Abu Kereisha, a member of the Lawyers Syndicate board who will defend Gizawy in Saudi Arabia, said the syndicate had already submitted two requests to Saudi authorities to attend the questioning sessions and review the indictment, but they received a negative response.

The problem “is not about granting visas to the Egyptian lawyer delegation, as rumored. It’s about permitting them to defend Gizawy,” he said.

Procedures for defending a suspect are clear, Abu Kereisha said, and involve legal representation during both questioning and trial as well as access to the documents of the case.

“Without those steps, we will question trial procedures and demand a retrial, which would trigger a new crisis between Cairo and Riyadh,” Abu Kereisha said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Egyptian Consulate legal adviser will attend Gizawy investigations

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May 8th, 2012

A representative from the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah on Tuesday will attend Saudi investigations of Ahmed al-Gizawy, an Egyptian lawyer detained in the kingdom on charges of drug smuggling.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said its consul general in Saudi Arabia has assigned Yasser al-Olwany, the consulate’s legal adviser, to attend the investigations.

Ahmed Khalaf al-Rashed, a Saudi lawyer, will defend Gizawy in court.

On Monday, Olwany intervened with Saudi authorities to allow Gizawy, who is detained at a drug-fighting authority in Jeddah, to telephone his wife and reassure his family about his condition.

Initial news reports had claimed Gizawy was detained for defaming the Saudi king and had been sentenced to lashing in absentia, which ignited protests in front of the Saudi Embassy in Cairo. The Saudi Embassy recalled its ambassador in response to the clashes.

Saudi authorities said Gizawy was apprehended on charges of drug smuggling, as some of the luggage in his possession was found to contain large quantities of narcotics.

The Saudi ambassador returned to Egypt on Saturday and the embassy resumed its work after an Egyptian parliamentary delegation flew to Saudi Arabia to ease tensions over the Gizawy crisis. Saudi Arabia has pledged to fulfill all previously agreed-on assistance packages.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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