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Agrarian reform policies destroy the homes of Melwy farmers
The LCHR has received dozens of complaints from the farmers of Melwy village – Menya governorate because of the policies of the public corporation for agrarian reform. About 300 farmers have signed contracts with the corporation to buy agrarian lands from it in 1990. The farmers have paid the first installment and have been regularly paying the rest of the installments for 10 years according to the signed contracts, which is subject to the sixth article of law no. 3 for the year 1986, and based on the decision of the board of the agrarian reform corporation no. 12 stating that the price of this land is 13.500 pounds per feddan, and that the farmers should pay 15% of the land price in advance and the rest to be paid on regular installments for 10 years. The farmers have paid all the installments, completing the land price in the year 2000, but the corporation is still collecting installments from these farmers in violation to the law, stating that the installments will continue for 5 more years. The corporation has refused to give them final contracts, forcing them to pay installments for these additional years, and those who refuse to pay, are threatened that their lands will be taken from them.
The LCHR presents the complaints of these farmers to the Minister of Agriculture and the head of the public corporation for agrarian reform demanding them to give Melwy farmers final contracts that prove their ownership of the land and give them back the installments, which they have paid for more than 10 years, in addition to compensating them for the violations practiced against them by the corporation, in order to guarantee their rights to safe land possession, security of land tenure and decent living.
For more information, please contact the Center.