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Farmers of Ezbet El Suttomeya Call for Help
LCHR has received complaints from 500 families from Ezbet El Suttomeya – Behira governorate. Some ownership claimers threaten to evict these farmers out of their lands, claiming that they have bought these lands from El Moghazy inheritors who also claim to own these lands.
These farmers have rented this land since the sixties, with contracts from the public corporation for agrarian reform. The farmers were surprised with decision from the corporation to release 150 feddans of land for Mrs. Nevien Ahmed El Moghazy and other inheritors on 13/2/1983, on the condition that El Moghazy inheritors dispose of this land within one year from the date of release, and if not, the land will be returned to the corporation. The inheritors didn't dispose of the land in time. Nevertheless, the corporation has transferred the ownership of this land to them in violation of the law, and issued new contract for the farmers, stating that now they rent this land from El Moghazy inheritors. The farmers presented a challenge before the court against this decision. On 20/11/2000, the conflict settlement committee has issued a decision for the non-consideration of the ownership decision for Mrs. Nevien Ahmed El Moghazy for the non-verity of a disposal date over an area of 94 feddans, therefore, this area should be retrieved, and the farmers should still deal with the corporation as tenants. The committee has postponed it decision on the rest of the land area to another session. Unfortunately, the decision issued by the committee was implemented over only 35 feddans of the 94 feddans; the corporation claimed that it had instructions not implement the whole decision.
In 2002, the farmers were surprised with the corporation reexamining the documents and forming another committee to give back the land to Mrs. Nevien Ahmed El Moghazy, in violation of its previous decision. Currently there are attempts to deliver 35 feddans to Mrs. Nevien, but the farmers are refusing to give-up their land although police forces have arrested dozens of them. The farmers confirmed that they have requested to own these lands in 1982, but there was no response from the corporation. El Moghazy inheritors are offering the land for sale for a price of 100 thousand pounds per feddan, while some farmers have previously bought pieces of this land from the corporation with a price of 6 thousand pounds per feddan.
LCHR wonders, who can farmers resort to, if the public corporation for agrarian reform doesn't implement its decisions, and its corrupted employees manipulate the land documents in order to let ownership claimers have possession over the land and evict farmers out of it? We also wonder, what is the role o the Ministry of Agriculture in protecting agrarian lands and supporting farmers in their work, especially after the farmers have reclaimed these wastelands?
LCHR demands the Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and the Head of the Public Corporation for Agrarian Reform to investigate the complaints of these farmers, judge the violators and allow the farmers to own their lands with suitable prices and a suitable installment plan to guarantee their right to have a decent and safe life.
For more information, please contact the Center.