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Once again, Wady El-Naqra farmers fall victim to corruption
Farmers state in their complaints to the LCHR that they have been reclaiming hundreds of acres of lands in El-Naqra area for so many years, and they have presented applications to the Ministry of Agriculture in order to have the right to own these lands after applying all of the required ownership procedures.
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture told these farmers that these lands are owned by another Agricultural Company that sold these lands to some influential people. This was done after the farmers took years to reclaim the lands and apply the requested requirements by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The influential people who own the lands without any right to do so, forge police reports against the farmers as trespassers on the lands, as farmers are being arrested everyday and taken to the police station and detained and pressured to leave their lands.
All of this is done, despite the fact that these farmers have official documents proving that they have fulfilled the necessary requirements and paid the requested tolls to the construction corporation and many other governmental bodies especially the Ministry of Irrigation to have access to irrigation water from the main waterway, in addition to loan contracts from the Bank for Development and Agrarian Trust that state that their lands are considered a guarantee by the Bank to the loans they have obtained. They even have documents from the agrarian associations that include their names among those who receive fertilizer shares every year.
The LCHR has presented the complaints of these farmers to Aswan Governor and the Ministry of Agriculture demanding them to stop taking sides for the favor of corrupted influential people and guarantee Wady El-Naqra farmers their rights to safety, adequate work opportunities and fair distribution of the state wealth.
The LCHR also calls all Civil Society Organizations, members of the People's Assembly and the Consultative Council to unite in solidarity with the demands of Wady El-Naqra farmers and stop the violations they face everyday against their rights to personal safety and decent living.
For more information, please contact the Center