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A village living in darkness, while ministers and officials live in lightened palaces
Ezbet Ramzy Al Sabeel is a small village in Sharqeya that has no electricity and no lights in its homes for many years now, about 1000 people live in darkness.
This piece of land is a part of about 100 feddans that were once owned by a big feudalist. The farmers lived on this land in return of giving the feudalist a share of their crops. The land liberalization law, made the land owner try to evict these farmers out of the land. During that process, he fabricated cases against them, which have led to the imprisonment of most of them, but he wasn't able to evict them, which made him sell the land to another feudalist who also tried to evict them. The new owner used also the police to persuade them out of the lands, just like the old owner. He also used his influence to lighten the streets of the village with electricity, but at the same time, prevent the houses from this service. The students connected wires to the electric poles to lighten their homes, which made the new owner use his influence and make the local authorities charge these people of stealing electricity, and making every house pay a fine of 300 pounds. Those who couldn't pay were imprisoned, leading to the imprisonment of dozens of these people.
The Prime Minister has issued decision no. 138/2006 giving all citizens the tight to receive electricity. When the farmers applied for electricity at the local unit, the employees said that these applications must be presented through the land owner, who of course refused to do so.
The farmers filed lawsuits against the local unit employees for refusing to accept their applications, but nothing happened to these employees, as they were protected by the influence and wealth of the feudalist owner.
LCHR demands the Prime Minister, the head of the local unit and the Sharqeya governor to provide the houses of these farmers with electricity and stop their imprisonment, as their children are studying under the electric poles in the streets and in this cold weather.
For more information, please contact the Center.