LCHR held a symposia in February 20^th 2003 about the problems that the farmers suffer in the village of Kouta Karoun, which is about 73 km away from the city Fayyoum. All the farmers in this village live in small houses built with bricks made of mud. and consist of two rooms and have no furniture at all. Those farmers face an irresistible power; the family of Youssef Waly, minister of agriculture.

we should also mention that the disaster of those farmers comes back to the sixties when farmers were handed this land by the Agricultural Reformation Sector after it had been confiscated from the landlords. The land was full of saline and cannot be planted when it was handed to the farmers in the village. Farmers exerted much efforts and costs since they were handed the land. They sold most of their properties in order to raise land fertility. The Walys family could recently gain several judgements of expelling the farmers from the land. Farmers were instantly expelled without any compensations or alternative jobs. The walys refuse even to rent the land to the farmers again and the government have not done its promises to hand them alternative lands. So, their inevitable destiny is starving to death.

Some farmers deserted the village and went to Cairo where they worked as doormen or farer workers in order to be able to find food for their children.

LCHR filed lawsuits for the farmers in the village demanding their rights and compensations. Lawsuits are still under deliberation before the court.