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Who Protects the residents of Ezbet Khairi from the tyranny of property claimers?
The Land Center for Human Rights received complaints from the residents of Ezbet Khairi, Dakahlia governorate. In their complaints the residents state that their village is under siege. Dr. Ahmad El-Hefny and his men have surrounded the village with barbed wire in addition to closing the roads leading to the village. They cut the electricity and water supply from the homes of the residents and demolished some houses, claiming ownership of the village’s land. They forced the residents to enter their village through a gate which they built, in addition to continuously humiliating and insulting them. The residents assert that their homes have been built by their ancestors since the Ottoman occupation of Egypt, but the thugs of Dr. Ahmad El-Hefny ignore that fact and continue to beat them and force them to flee their homes. The LCHR condemns the acts of property claimers who terrorize residents, beat them, force them to flee their homes, and threaten them publicly with detention by the police, who neglected the reports filed by the residents urging the police to stop their abuse and the demolition of their homes. The LCHR asserts that such actions are in violation with the provisions of the law, the Constitution and the international covenants, which ensures for citizens the right to safety, appropriate and adequate housing and respect for court rulings and law. The LCHR presents the complaints of the residents to the governor of Dakahlia, the Minister of Interior, and the Prime Minster demanding that they intervene quickly, in order to end the siege of Ezbet Khairi and stop the threats and violations made to the rights of citizens to live in safety. The LCHR also demands that the institutions of civil society unite in solidarity with the people of Ezbet Khairi in order to ensure their rights to a decent life, liberty and security.