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New violations against farmers’ right to safe farming They need your solidarity
In the continuous attempt of the governmental employees to violate farmers’ rights and take over their lands for the favor of influential people, Alexandria governorate employees collude with other employees from the Ministry of Endowment and some investors to evict thousands of farmers out of their lands claiming that they don’t own these lands and it was time to evict them and turn these lands into tourist resorts.
The LCHR has received dozens of complaints from the farmers of Ezbet El Arab El Soghra and El Kobra in Alexandria, stating that about 4 thousand families farming about 300 feddans are being evicted out of their lands.
These farmers have received this land in 1962 according to the agrarian reform law. As their grandfathers reclaimed these lands and built their homes on them hundreds of years ago. In 1973 this land was transferred to the endowment corporation and the rental contracts with the farmers were changed from the agrarian reform corporation to the endowment corporation. This status remained till 1997, when the endowment corporation has issued new rental contracts that are renewed yearlhas issued new rental contracts that are renewed yearly with an increased rental value that has reached 30%, as it was 300 Pounds in 1997, reached 800 Pounds in 2006 and reached 1130 Pounds in 2007. at the end of 2007, when the armers paid the rental values for the year 2008, they were surprised with warnings from the endowment corporation refusing to receive the rental values and demanding them to leave their lands. Then they were surprised with police forces coming to their homes and demanding them to leave the land and everything on it including homes and property after arresting dozens of farmers, which made he families of these farmers protest in front of the office of the Alexandria governor demanding the release of the arrested farmers and their right to own these lands, and the governor promised hem to solve the problem.
The farmers presented challenge no. 6150/62 judicial against the eviction decision filed against them, which is deliberated before the administrative judiciary court in Alexandria.
LCHR presents the complaints of these farmers to the Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Endowment and the Alexandria governor demanding them to stop the violations against these farmers, allow them to own the lands that they have been faming fo hundreds of years and guarantee their right to safe farming.
LCHR also call all CSOs to unite in solidarity with these farmers to stop the violations against their rights safety, freedom and decent living.
For more information, please contact the Center
For further information, please contact the Center