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LCHR asks the Egyptian Prime Minister, Who will stop the violations practiced against farmers?
LCHR has received dozens o complaints from the farmers in Qena governorate. They are complaining about the removal of their crops grown on 200 feddans on Qena – Safaga desert road.
Qena farmers have been reclaiming this desert land since 1994 with the encouragement of the state. These farmers have dug wells and farmed this land with wheat, corn, tomatoes and many other crops. The farmers have provided all the requires documents to own this land, and they have received approval from all relevant authorities to farm this land "the Ministries of Defense, Irrigation, Archeology, Quarries and Mines, Agriculture and Land Reform" and paid all the necessary fees, and the Public Corporation for Construction and Development has agreed to let them own the land and scheduled a session on 16/7/2006 to determine the price of the land.
The farmers were surprised with the removal of their crops, the ruining of their irrigation network, the curettage of their land and the destruction of their homes, based on a decision from the local council in Qena no. 32 on 11/4/2006 and decision no. 303 on 22/6/2006 from Qena governorate. The farmers have spent a lot of money to reclaim this desert land. They have dug three wells and used modern technology to irrigate the land and preserve water. After spending all this money and hard work in the past years, and after they have started to gain the fruits of this fatigue, the governorate is demanding them now to give back this land. The governorate wants to seize the land in order to sell it for a very high price, after these farmers have turned this land from desert to agricultural land.
The farmers have presented documents proving that they have possession over this land, but the governorate does not confess to these documents, it claims that it needs this piece of land for constructional and educational matters, although this piece of land is surrounded by large areas of desert lands suitable to establish their claimed projects. The Public Corporation for Construction and Development has stated that this land now is for farming and reclamation purposes only according to the second article of law no. 143 for the year 1981.
LCHR presents farmers complaints to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture, the Head of the Public Corporation for Construction and Development and Qena governor demanding them to stop the removal decisions and protect this land from being wasted, to guarantee farmers rights to safe possession, safety and decent living.
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