Archive for Staff Sami Anan

Human rights watchdog calls civilian investigation of military leaders positive step

by admin
October 26th, 2012

A civilian judge’s appointment to investigate the involvement of three former military leaders in the abuse of protesters is an opportunity for redeeming accountability, said the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement released on Friday.

The state-run MENA news outlet reported on 15 October that Judge Tharwat Hammad was appointed by the Cairo Court of Appeals to investigate complaints filed by private citizens against former head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, former Chief of Staff Sami Anan and former head of military police Hamdy Badeen, accusing them of violence against protesters.

In the statement, HRW described its documentation of the detention and torture of hundreds of protesters between January 2011 and June 2012, the transitional period when Egypt was ruled by SCAF following the toppling of former President Hosni Mubarak.

HRW has long criticized the fact that military courts were single handedly hearing these cases, allegedly because they had jurisdiction over acts committed by military personnel.

“In the only two cases referred for trial, military prosecutors did not examine senior commanders’ responsibility, including whether they gave orders to commit abuse or failed to prevent crimes by subordinates,” the statement read.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at HRW, said, “Over the past year and a half, the military has been getting away with murder, torture, and sexual assault, because military investigators were unwilling to seriously investigate their own.”

“If backed by full support from the political authorities, this civilian investigation could become the first serious step toward reversing the impunity the military has enjoyed so far,” he added.

The charges against SCAF offiials included responsibiltiy for the beating of citizens and protesters on 16 December by military police, including dragging a woman down a street and stripping her to her bra, as protests broke out next to the cabinet building. Complaints were also filed against the torture of protesters in March 2011 and May 2012 in downtown Cairo and Abbasseya Square respectively.

According to HRW, only two cases of military abuse were investigated by military prosecutors, including the assault in March 2011 on women protesters in detention, an act called “virginity tests” by military leaders. The other case was of the killing of 27 mostly Coptic protesters in October 2011 when their march was violently dispersed next to the Maspero state television building.

“Neither investigation included the responsibility of any senior commanders, however … The investigations and trials in these two cases underscore the continuing failure of the military justice system to investigate those at senior level even when faced with strong evidence of crimes,” HRW said. “This is hardly surprising, because the military justice system, including the prosecutors and judges, are not independent of those they are investigating, and remain in the same chain of command.”

The possible prosecution of Tantawi and his aides has been a contentious matter, especially after President Mohamed Morsy sent them to retirement in August and appointed them as advisors, honoring them in a gesture that was largely interpreted as a safe exit.

Last week, in an unprecedented move a chief editor of a state-run daily was sacked for publishing news about Tantawi and Anan being banned from traveling. Ahmed Fahmy, president of the Supreme Press Council, fired Gamal Abdel Rahim, chief editor of Al-Gomhurriya daily, for running a story about a travel ban on the former military leaders, pending their investigations.

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Al-Gomhurriya journalists protest chief’s firing

by admin
October 21st, 2012

Journalists of the state-run Al-Gomhurriya newspaper on Sunday staged a protest outside the Shura Council to condemn its dismissal of the paper’s editor-in-chief.

Ahmed Fahmy, president of the Supreme Press Council, on Wednesday fired Gamal Abdel Rahim for publishing news that former military head Hussein Tantawi and former Chief of Staff Sami Anan were about to be banned from leaving Egypt. The justice minister denied the report.

The journalists chanted slogans against Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, decrying Brotherhood control of the Shura Council, Parliament’s upper house.

The Shura Council, which appoints the editors-in-chief of Egypt’s state newspapers, has postponed for a week the hearing of Abdel Rahim’s testimony.

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Morsy defends Tantawi, Anan

by admin
October 18th, 2012

President Mohamed Morsy has intervened to defend former military head Hussein Tantawi and former Chief of Staff Sami Anan after a newspaper reported that they were banned from travel pending investigation.

Morsy stressed during an Armed Forces training Thursday his "absolute" rejection of what some papers have published about former military leaders.

"There have been changes in newspaper leadership after reports that had no basis were published, and the responsible person is being interrogated," Morsy said. "As president of the republic and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, I stress my full respect for current and former military leaders."

"It is no secret that I contact Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and Lieutenant General Sami Anan on a regular basis. The last of those communications was on Wednesday," Morsy added.

State-run Al-Gomhurriya newspaper published Wednesday that judicial authorities would issue within hours a decision banning Tantawi and Anan from travel.

Shura Council speaker and head of the Supreme Press Council Ahmed Fahmy suspended the paper's chief editor, Gamal Abdel Rahim, and appointed Abdel Azim al-Bably in his stead until an emergency SPC meeting can be held.

An official military source told state TV's website Wednesday that the Armed Forces are deeply dissatisfied over the story and consider it a great insult to the leaders and symbols of the Armed Forces.

Abdel Rahim said that he was dismissed for publishing news that Tantawi and Anan would be banned from travel for charges of illicit gain, not that they were already banned. "Even Mubarak did not do something like this,” he told Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr Wednesday. “The Brotherhood knows nothing about freedom of the press,” he added.

He said the group is settling political scores with him for writing a series of articles under the title "Renegade from the Brotherhood’s Mantle," which were meant to convey that he would be independent from the group if they chose him for the post.

The Revolutionary Youth Union denounced Abdel Rahim's suspension, describing the decision as "terrorism against newspapers and journalists."

The decision is another example of the Muslim Brotherhood's domination of newspapers, the union said in a statement.

Union spokesperson Tamer al-Qady called for "the liberation of state press from the domination of a single faction as it should represent all segments of society." He stressed the union's solidarity with Abdel Rahim until he resumes his position.
 

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Report claims former SCAF leader left for Emirates

by admin
October 11th, 2012

Conflicting reports have emerged this week over whether former military Chief of Staff Sami Anan has left the country for the United Arab Emirates.

Egyptian authorities are investigating Anan, the former deputy head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, for corruption. Citizens and rights groups have also filed reports accusing him of involvement in the killings of protesters during the transitional period following President Hosni Mubarak's resignation.

Privately-owned satellite channel Al-Hayat announced on Wednesday night that Anan had traveled to the UAE, while a Cairo airport source told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Anan's family left for Abu Dhabi early on Thursday without the former chief of staff.

Anan is continuing to live his life normally in Egypt, sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm, pointing out that there is not a travel ban on Anan and that he may leave the country if he wishes.

Political activist Ahmed Douma announced on Facebook that he would file a complaint with the public prosecutor accusing President Mohamed Morsy and Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal Eddin of allowing Anan, and former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq before him, to flee to the UAE.

Shafiq left Egypt shortly after the announcement of the presidential election results. Authorities placed his name on the arrivals watch list after the Justice Ministry referred him to court on charges of corruption.

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Morsy: Decision to retire Tantawi was ‘a must’

by admin
September 23rd, 2012

In his first television interview on Saturday night, President Mohamed Morsy said that the decision to send former Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi and former Chief of Staff Sami Anan to retirement in August was “a must.”

Morsy added that this decision was not intended to marginalize the role of any institution.

Morsy told state television that “the Armed Forces safeguarded the revolution and managed the transitional period … the Armed Forces is an institution respected by the people and Egypt’s president attends to it like he does the remaining institutions. It genuinely participates in preserving the internal security of the country whenever this is needed.”

Asked about his current legislative powers, Morsy said that he would only use the temporary right to legislate within the tightest limits and after consulting with the concerned entities.

Morsy also addressed fears of Islamist hegemony over the state, saying, “Fear of the Islamist current is healthy — it leads to political, intellectual and societal mobility, but no single faction should fear control by others.”

Morsy said that he does not interfere in the process of writing the constitution and added that he will abide by its stipulations in order for Egypt to have a genuinely modern state.

When asked about the wave of labor protests that have swept the country recently, Morsy said, “Labor protests and freedom of expression are a right for everyone, but protests that hamper production undermine the ability to respond to demands and result in a negative image of the investment environment.”

“All the demands of the labor protests will be largely met in the coming budget. Within two years, the people will feel the investments, [better] rates of employment and the increase in tourist arrivals.”

Morsy said about money smuggled overseas under the former regime, “We will not leave a corrupt person unpunished and everyone will be held accountable. I am taking action around the world to recoup smuggled money.”

Regarding the crisis in Syria, Morsy said that Egypt is not a party to the conflict though it is seeking to end the crisis there.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Defense minister praises former military leaders

by admin
September 18th, 2012

Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday praised the previous leaders of the Armed Forces for honorably and faithfully leading the transitional phase after the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak.

Sisi made his comments during a visit to the Military Academy to assess the levels of education and training.

“Armed Forces leaders are chosen carefully so that they can fulfill their sacred responsibility,” he told the academy teachers. “Our goal now is to develop the Armed Forces at all levels in order to be able to protect our national security.”

A number of politicians and human rights groups had criticized the way the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces managed the transitional period, considering it a continuation of the Mubarak regime.

As presidential polls came to a close in June, the military council chaired by Mubarak’s Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, issued a supplement to the Constitutional Declaration, granting itself executive and legislative powers.

Following an attack in Sinai, which left 16 soldiers dead, in a surprise move President Mohamed Morsy abolished the declaration, and retired Tantawi, Chief of Staff Sami Anan and other military leaders. These were replaced with younger figures. Sisi, who replaced Tantawi, had previously been the head of military intelligence.

On the situation in Sinai, Sisi said the Armed Forces and the police are eliminating militancy in the region, but with respect for human rights and regard for innocent people. “Restoring security in Sinai also requires political and economic development,” he said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Armed Forces chief of staff visits Saudi Arabia

by admin
September 17th, 2012

Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sidqy Sobhy arrived for his first visit to Saudi Arabia Sunday to hold talks with his Saudi counterpart and other officials.

Sobhy will oversee the main phase of Egyptian-Saudi naval exercises, in which warships, missile boats, helicopters and naval commandos will take part.

The training began a few days ago and included meetings regarding coordination as well as lectures on submarines, communications and the effects of weather on naval operations.

Hussein al-Kabil, the Saudi military chief of staff, welcomed the Egyptian forces taking part in the training, confirming the importance of exchanging tactical experience and training, command and control techniques, and cooperation to carry out both emergency operations and military plans.

“Egypt and Saudi Arabia are the pillars of the Arab world and shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the Red Sea, because we have the longest coasts on the sea and have the troops,” Kabil said. “Threats to the Red Sea do not only affect the two countries but also affect the world, as the Red Sea is an important waterway for international community.”

The Egyptian presidential office also denied reports from the Qatar-based satellite channel Al Jazeera that a presidential decree had dismissed Sobhy from his office.

Sobhy was appointed after former Chief of Staff Sami Anan was sent to retirement on 12 August, as part of a cascade of decisions that sacked Egypt’s top military leaders who took over after former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from office.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Revolutionary groups sue Tantawi and Anan for killing demonstrators

by admin
September 4th, 2012

Representatives from revolutionary movements filed a complaint against former Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and former military Chief of Staff Sami Anan on Tuesday, accusing them of murder and attempted murder during the clashes at Maspero, on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, and in front of the Cabinet building.

The April 6 Youth Movement Democratic Front filed a group complaint, in cooperation with other revolutionary movements, demanding a swift trial for the two senior officers.

Tantawi was head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces from 11 February 2011 when former President Hosni Mubarak stepped down until President Mohamed Morsy was sworn into office on 30 June 2012. Anan was the deputy chief of the military council during this period.

Activist Ahmed Douma, who filed a complaint on 16 August accusing the military council of murder, said complaints against the military council would be taken from all governorates and combined into one case. He also said that the April 6 movement and other activists would organize a campaign called “Retribution is a Right” to expose the military council’s violations and demand a trial of the generals.  

Douma said that the public prosecutor received the complaints and is following the required procedures to deal with them.  

The transitional period presided over by the SCAF was marked by a number of bloody incidents during which protesters were killed.

In October 2011, 28 died when military forces brutally dispersed a peaceful, Coptic-led march outside the state television building, known as Maspero. Video clips circulated of protesters being mowed down by an armored vehicle, and 14 reportedly died after being run over. The military blamed an anonymous third party, which it said had stolen army weapons and tanks for the attack.

Clashes lasted for five days on Mohamed Mahmoud Street in November 2011 after security forces tried to break up a sit-in of revolutionary martyrs’ families in Tahrir Square. Forty-five people died and hundreds were injured. Shortly after in December 2011, 17 were killed after the military violently disbanded a sit-in in front of the Cabinet building protesting Kamal al-Ganzouri’s appointment as prime minister.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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History will be our judge, says SCAF member

by admin
September 3rd, 2012

History will be the judge of the Armed Forces' management of the country during the transitional period, Assistant Defense Minister Mohamed al-Assar told reporters on Monday. He also stressed that the spirit of the 25 January revolution will protect the freedom of the press.

Assar is the only member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to remain in office after President Mohamed Morsy retired former Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi and former Chief of Staff Sami Anan on 12 August. Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi then retired 70 other military leaders.

Assar is responsible for military relations with the United States, who gives Egypt US$1.3 billion in military aid each year in the form of weapons, training and joint exercises.

The SCAF had come under sharp criticism when it assumed rule of the country after former President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in February 2011. Human rights activists accused the SCAF of following in Mubarak’s footsteps, and of having no intention of cleansing state institutions of the former regime’s corruption.

Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch accused the SCAF of violating human rights during the demonstrations at Maspero in October 2011, the Mohamed Mahmoud Street clashes in November 2011 and the Cabinet building protests in December of the same year.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Ex-SCAF member says forced retirements ‘a routine procedure’

by admin
September 3rd, 2012

A former member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces confirmed reports that Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sent about 70 army generals into retirement, including SCAF members.

According to London-based Asharq Al-Awsat’s Monday issue, the SCAF member, who himself was forced into retirement, described that step as a routine one that was known beforehand. He added that most of those pushed into retirement were physicians.

Sisi himself took the helm of the Armed Forces after President Mohamed Morsy sent Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and former Chief of Staff Sami Anan into retirement last month. The reshuffles were described as a sign of a muted intergenerational conflict within the Armed Forces, which Morsy settled by sidelining the elderly and empowering a new rank that is potentially more sympathetic to the rule of an Islamist president.

The former SCAF member said there are no problems in the army and added that the changes made with the appointment of Sisi went smoothly, without any problems.

“The changes are normal because some people were [elderly],” he said. “Also, most of those forced into retirement had previously been summoned to work in the army after their retirement.”

Although no official statements were made about Sisi’s move, six SCAF members were among those sent into retirement, including Ismail Etman, who headed the Armed Forces media relations department until he was sacked and replaced by another general in January, and Mohsen al-Fangary, who directed the famous salute to the martyrs of the revolution in one of the earlier SCAF statements, following the sit-in that led to President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster.

Fangary later spoke threateningly of protesters, whom he accused of destabilizing order and tarnishing the image of the Armed Forces, following ongoing unrest and revolutionary groups’ calls for SCAF to hand over power, saying it mishandled the transition.

The retirements also include, according to local media, Mamdouh Abdel Haq, Sami Diab, Adel Emara and Mokhtar al-Mulla.

According to Al-Masry Al-Youm’s military reporter, some assistant defense ministers survived the shuffle, including major generals Mahmoud Nasr, Fouad Abdel Hai and Mamdouh Shahin, the representative of the Armed Forces on the constitution-writing panel.

Concerning Sisi, the SCAF member said, “He’s a good man and it is we who chose him,” and added that all the changes had been coordinated a lot earlier.

He added that all SCAF members who were sent to retirement were above the legal age for retirement, and denied that the number of generals sent into retirement was 70.

“Those [numbers] include doctors who had retired long ago,” he said. “Changing some of them led to further changes.”

“I am above 60 and I am no longer a SCAF member, yet I respect Minister Sisi and the new chief of staff. May God help them. So you know, it was we who chose them. Everything that happened had been studied beforehand and the changes do not disappoint us. On the contrary, we want the Armed Forces to be strong and active and to have fresh blood,” he said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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