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Farmers face ownership claimers, police forces and colluded governmental employees to keep their lands
The LCHR has received complaints from dozens of farmers living in Moharram Beh, Ashraf El Baroudy, El Kom, El Hawanem, Masoud El Bas, Mahallet Tabe'a and Mahallet Dawoud from El rahmaneya – Behira stating in their complaints that there are some big land owners who forged police reports against them claiming the ownership of their lands that reach a total area of 63 feddans.
Farmers say that the problem started in 1999 when Mrs. Zenat Kamal El Baroudy claimed the ownership of this area of land, which is 63 feddans located in all these 7 villages. And by collusion with governmental employees, she was able to cancel farmers' possession papers in the agrarian association and creating new ones with her name, and with the new papers with her name she sold the lands to some big land owners. This situation made the farmers as only people putting their hands on the lands and farming it, while the ownership claimers receive seeds and fertilizers from the agrarian association according to the possession papers they have and farmers don't receive anything of the kind.
The new owners are currently using their wealth and influence to terrorize the farmers and force them out of their lands, also some of the ownership claimers filed lawsuits against the farmers for not pay the land rents, while some farmers have filed lawsuits in this regards and were able to obtain court orders to keep their lands, put the police forces in El Rahmaneya colluded with the ownership claimers and postponed implementing the court orders that the farmers obtained till the ownership claimers obtain court orders to receive the same lands. The police forces are also threatening the farmers everyday for the favor of the ownership claimers and forcing the farmers to pay them money tributes everyday.
And though some farmers were able to obtain court orders to keep their lands, the agrarian association refused to issue them possession papers to their lands, which is a violation to the law.
LCHR demands the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Agriculture to protect the farmers and stop the violations and harassments that they face and guarantee their right to safe land possession.
LCHR also calls all CSOs to unite in solidarity with these farmers to guarantee their rights to safety, equality, freedom and decent living.
For more information, please contact the Center