Living Together: Cairo

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Joint NGO letter on mass deportations of Eritrean asylum-seekers

Minister of Interior
Minister Habib Ibrahim El Adly
Ministry of the Interior
25 Al-Sheikh Rihan Street
Bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt

June 19, 2008

Dear Minister Habib Ibrahim El Adly,

We are writing to express our concern about the ongoing mass deportations of Eritrean asylum-seekers from Egypt back to Eritrea. While we welcome the June 15 decision by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to allow the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) access to the Eritrean asylum-seekers held in Shallal Military Camp, we remain concerned about the Egyptian government's decision to forcibly repatriate Eritreans who face significant risk of torture and ill-treatment in Eritrea.

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Torture (Art. 3), the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Art. 33) and the Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa (Art. 2), Egypt is legally obliged to respect the principle of non-refoulement and has pledged never to return refugees back to countries where their lives or freedom would be threatened. The Organization of African Unity Convention, ratified by Egypt in 1980, states: "No person shall be subjected by a Member State to measures such as rejection at the frontier, return or expulsion, which would compel him to return to or remain in a territory where his life, physical integrity or liberty would be threatened" (Art. 2.3).

The persecution of Eritreans by the Eritrean government has been widely documented by foreign governments and human rights organizations. Numerous Eritreans are being held incommunicado by the Eritrean government, where they are tortured and ill-treated. These individuals are arrested by the Eritrean government for practicing their religious beliefs, for evading military service and for their suspected opposition to the government. The human rights violations in Eritrea are so severe that the UNHCR has issued guidelines to all governments which state that rejected Eritrean asylum seekers should not be returned to Eritrea.

We therefore urge the Egyptian government to respect its commitment to the principle of non-refoulement and to cease forcibly returning Eritrean asylum-seekers who face a significant risk of torture and ill-treatment. We encourage the further involvement of the UNHCR, and a careful consideration of every asylum application filed by Eritrean individuals.

We thank you for taking note of our concerns.

1. Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Non-Violent Studies.

2. Arab Network for Human Rights Information.

3. Arab Organization for Penal Reform.

4. Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression

5. Al- Intima Al-Watani Association for Human Rights

6. Awlad Al-Ard Foundation for Human Rights

7. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

8. Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance

9. Egyptian Association for Enhancement of Community Participation.

10. Egyptian Center for Housing Rights

11. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

12. Egyptian Center for Human Rights

13. Group for Human Rights Legal Aid

14. Hisham Mubarak Law Center.

15. Land Center for Human Rights.

16. Nadim Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence.

17. New Woman Foundation.

18. One World Foundation for Development and Civil Society Care.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

EGYPT-SUDAN: Sudanese refugees face dilemma of return

CAIRO, 11 June 2008 (IRIN) - Many Sudanese refugees are pushed into considering voluntary repatriation if only because surviving in Egypt is tough. Mideng Mebai, waiting at the Waqf Culture Centre for Sudanese refugees in Ain Shams, is one of them.

"We should not stay in Egypt but go back to Sudan, despite all the problems there. As Sudanese, we have no rights here," Mebai said.

According to the Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA), an NGO promoting the legal protection of asylum seekers and refugees, Egypt hosts the fifth-largest urban refugee population in the world, mainly concentrated in Cairo and Alexandria.

Although official sources claim there are only 50,000 refugees in Egypt, NGOs and researchers estimate about 500,000 refugees live in the country, mainly from the Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

However, economic hardship makes it impossible to bring their families to Egypt. Unemployment, insufficient education opportunities, limited access to healthcare, high housing costs and integration difficulties are some of the biggest challenges faced by refugees.

Mousa Hussein, who took part in an International Organization for Migration (IOM) assessment study of the voluntary repatriation of Sudanese refugees, said he could not bring his family to Egypt.

Photo: Martina Fuchs/IRIN
One of UNHCR's targets for 2008-2009 is for some 5,000 Sudanese refugees to return to their country voluntarily
"I am alone, my family is in Darfur. But the financial situation [here] is just not feasible. Even for me alone it's very difficult. I work as a freelance interpreter at embassies and get paid on a per-hour basis. But such an irregular salary is not enough to sustain a whole family and adds even more instability to my life," Hussein said.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that about 10,000 registered refugees in Egypt, some 20 percent of the refugee population recognised by the UNHCR, are unable to meet their minimum needs.

"Unemployment among Egyptians is at 20 percent, rents are on the rise and inflation is very high. My own existence is getting tougher every month and I live on a very different salary. Can do you imagine the situation for refugees?" said Marie-Geneviève Nightingale, a child rights advocate and researcher at the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program (FMRS) of the American University in Cairo.

Minors at risk

Lack of assistance and protection makes living conditions in the Cairo area especially hard for unaccompanied minors.

According to Nightingale, they are at risk of psychological, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, as well as economic and sexual exploitation. Girls and young women are particularly vulnerable as they are often engaged in domestic work and other labour susceptible to abuse or exploitation.

Although there are no official figures, Bahiga el-Gohary, tracing officer at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Cairo, suggests there are about 360 unaccompanied minors living in Egypt.

In addition, Nightingale admits many enter the country illegally or without documentation, have no knowledge of Arabic or English and are unable or unwilling to access the UNHCR or other organisations.

The UNHCR provides a minimal monthly stipend to meet the basic subsistence needs of unaccompanied minors, about US$30 per month. However, El-Gohary stressed that many of these children are not registered with the UNHCR and assistance stops automatically at 18.

"This is why the ICRC partially funds projects for unaccompanied minors, especially by providing psychosocial assistance and vocational counselling," El-Gohary said.

According to Abeer Etefa, UNHCR spokeswoman for the Middle East and North Africa, the option of resettlement is offered to the most vulnerable cases. "The first priority is to reunite them with their family members, if this does not put their lives in danger. Otherwise, resettlement in a third country becomes an option," she said.

In 2007, the ICRC's tracing unit in Cairo issued 1,157 travel documents for several nationalities of all age groups in an effort to restore family links and reunite family members in other countries.

Photo: Martina Fuchs/IRIN
About 500,000 refugees from 38 nationalities live in Egypt. Many face unemployment, difficult living conditions and xenophobia in the host country
Dilemma of voluntary repatriation

The UNHCR has a voluntary repatriation programme to facilitate the return of Sudanese refugees to South Sudan only. According to Etefa, 1,645 refugees took part in 2007, although it is not documented whether they made their way to the South or resettled in other parts of the country.

According to UNHCR's global appeal, key targets for 2008-2009 include the return of 5,000 refugees to Sudan with improved security in the South.

So far, most refugees persevere in Egypt hoping for a better future once peace has returned to their home country.

"Most people don't think the conditions are right for them to go back. But the big concern now is not the question of [non]-refoulement, but that large numbers of refugees are getting detained in Egypt, or get themselves smuggled into Israel because of the desperate situation here," Barbara Harrell-Bond, a professor at the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program (FMRS) of the American University in Cairo, said.

For those willing to return, UNHCR offers financial assistance for travel to the agency's office in Aswan, where they get transportation money for ferry tickets to Wadi Halfa, a town in Northern Sudan on the shores of Lake Nasser.

[ENDS]
Report can be found online at:
http://www.irnnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78641

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

WW vs. GRRRR, Thursday April 10th at 8:00pm

Monday, March 31, 2008

CIC Cairo: BELOW SEALEVEL: 4 days of media culture (3-6 April 2008)

Contemporary Image Collective - CiC
In collaboration with the Netherlands Media Art Institute, Montevideo

3 – 6 April 2008
BELOW SEALEVEL: Contemporary Media Art from the Netherlands 4 days of Media Culture
Screenings, lectures, discussions, workshop and video library

3 April 2008
6pm Kick off Freedom of Creation Workshop led by Jaromil
(By application only)
In the world of artistic creation, free software means tools that are accessible to everyone for the freedom of expression. This workshop will focus on GNU/Linux applications available for recording, editing and publishing of audio/video materials. Participants will be introduced to the vast choice of possibilities free and open source software can offer. As the workshop progresses, each participant will be encouraged to use and adapt applications that best suits his or her own ideas and needs. This workshop which makes use of a beginner's approach to the topic at hand explains various techniques of multimedia production using only free and open source software.

7pm Wonderwall – Live visuals: lecture and screening by Annet Dekker
Annet Dekker will give a lecture on the background of VJ Culture. Are there relations between certain aspects of contemporary VJ culture and the early experiments by video artists? There are certain resemblances as both use almost the same equipment and have a common aesthetic. On the other hand, VJ Culture has been influenced by performance art– particularly the live creation of an experience in which various senses are stimulated simultaneously. The emphasis in this presentation will be on the contemporary VJ scene viewed in the light of art historical developments, technological innovations and social happenings.

Screened works (total time 50 minutes) : Global Groove - Nam June Paik (USA, 28'51”); Steina and Woody Vasulka; Bas van Koolwijk; Micha Klein; Arno Coenen; Evolving Plastic Inevitable, Andy Warhol / Ronald Nameth; live sound and image performances; Geert Mul; Snowcrash; Barkode; Visual sensations (live performances, first VJ contest in the Netherlands, 2005-2006)

4 April 2008
11am – 2pm Freedom of Creation Workshop (By application only)

6 pm Film and Architecture Lecture and screening by artist Jeroen Kooijmans
Jeroen Kooijmans will talk about the creative processes and show works and excerpts of his works.
He will present his new project, The Fish Pond Song (2007- 2008) showing some finished parts. The Fish Pond Song is a long term project that is divided into episodes. It deals with religion, disbelief and superstition and is set in and around a small lake in the Dutch landscape. The film project does not have a clear scenario; instead the work develops on location, controlled by the improvisation of the characters.
Work (1994)
Excuse me, is this your room? 2000 (project he did in New York)
Floating Gardens, 2001 (project he did with MRVDV architects)

7 pm Screening New York & The Cactus Dance by Jeroen Kooijmans (2005, 36'31 “)

5 April 2008
11am – 2pm Freedom of Creation Workshop (By application only)

6pm Collect, Distribute, Support Lecture by Joke Ballintijn
Joke Ballintijn will discuss the field of video art today from the point of view of the distributor and the artist. The goal of many aspiring artists is to enter the commercial art and gallery world. Because the concerns of the small wealthy audience focus on exclusivity, videotapes, DVD’s and installations are sold in limited editions. But what about visibility? There are some artists that find it equally as important that their work is seen by a general public in a relevant context. What are choices and possibilities for these artists and what are the possible consequences? In traditional art display platforms like museums, galleries and biennales, video and media-art have now gained their unquestioned position. On the other hand, video and media art can also be presented in a multitude of other platforms, from arthouse cinemas to events in public spaces. What other spaces can the artist choose to present his/her work?

7:30pm The Lowlands Paradise: Contemporary Video from the Netherlands. Total duration 90 minutes Joke Ballintijn curated a program with recent works from the collection of the Netherlands Media Art Institute, by artists living and working in the Netherlands. These artists show a critical approach to the surrounding culture and media landscape, in a wide range of styles and formats, from documentary style to computer generated images.

eddie d – Sonatina (Nl, 2004, 2'09”)
Julika Rudelius – Your blood is as red as mine (NL, 2004, 16'17”)
Bas van Koolwijk – FDBCK/AV Red Flag (NL, 2005) 2'59”
Erwin Olaf – Le Dernier Cri (NL, 2006, 2'29”)
Jacco Olivier – Saeftinghe (NL, 2006, 2'39”)
Martijn Veldhoen – (why do I keep going) FORWARD (NL, 2006, 6'00”)
Guido van der Werve – Nummer zeven (the clouds are more beautiful from above) (NL, 2006, 8'49”)
Arno Coenen – VOC/VIP: Holland Experience! (NL, 2004 – 2007, 13'47”)
eddie d – Pas de Deux (NL, 2007, 1'57”)
Mieke Gerritzen – Beautiful world (NL, 2006, 30'00”)

6 April 2008
11am – 2pm Freedom of Creation Workshop (By application only)

6pm Consulting hour / Q&A: Joke Ballintijn, Annet Dekker and Jaromil will be present in an informal setting to discuss and answer questions about distributing, collecting, preservering and presenting media art.

8pm Freedom of Creation workshop results presentation + closing night drinks.

Day to day photo-, video- and text-based updates about BELOW SEALEVEL are accessible on the blog http://cairo-belowsealevel.blogspot.com

4 - 6 April 2008 (open from 11am to 5pm)
Videolibrary
On 4 different terminals, compilations of historical and contemporary works from the collection of the Netherlands Media Art Institute will be presented at CiC. Visitors to will be able to navigate the selection of 160 individual titles, depending on their interests and taste. Please check blog for a complete list of titles.

Biographies of Experts

Jaromil is a developer and media artist inspired by the GNU free software movement: he follows the ideal of creating FOSS for freedom of expression, to let people communicate, freed from consumerist speculations and the need for expensive hardware. Among open source software he created and maintains are: MuSE (for running aweb radio), FreeJ (for vee-jay and real-time video manipulation), HasciiCam (ASCII video streaming) and dyne:bolic (efficient live-CD widely employed for media production and broadcasting). These creations are redistributed by the Free Software Foundation and several other educational institutions worldwide. Based in Amsterdam, Jaromil is currently active on FOSS R&D for the Netherlands Media Art institute, adjunct lecturer (year 2008/09) for the Media Design MA at PietZwart Academy in Rotterdam and the Digital Environment Design MA at NABA in Milano.

Annet Dekker (1970) has been active in the field of media art since the mid 90s: as researcher, writer and curator of media art exhibitions, discussions and workshops. Subjects of interest are the influence of new media, science and popular culture on art and vice versa. She has given various presentations at (inter)national symposia and was part of juries and advisory boards. For the past eight years she worked as curator and head of exhibition and the artist in residence program at the Netherlands Media Art Institute in Amsterdam. At the moment she is freelance curator and program manager for Virtual Platform.

Jeroen Kooijmans' (1967) work is characterised by small, but highly significant interventions. Evident in the choice of the framework or a subtle adaptation of the recorded material in the montage at a later stage. In a lively, carefree manner, Kooijmans succeeds in presenting extremely realistic images. His work seems to be closely related to that of pure observation, as if it is a direct translation of that which Kooijmans saw or imagined. He lays his cards on the table so that the observer can happily look, think and dream along with him. Coolly and serenely, he shows us rare moments in which people dream and fantasise, leaving reality and 'the madding crowd' far behind them for a while. http://www.jeroenkooijmans.com

After graduating in Film- and Television Studies at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, Joke Ballintijn (1969) worked as a producer, programmer and curator in the field of media art. She has given numerous presentations at international festivals, academies and symposia and was part of juries, advisory boards and selection-commitees in various visual art organisations. Since 1999 she is a staff member of the the collection and distribution department of the Netherlands Media Art Institute in Amsterdam.

The Netherlands Media Art Institute
Ever since the founding of the video gallery Montevideo in Amsterdam, 1978, the Netherlands Media Art Institute has been specialised in electronic art and especially video art which seeks the creative possibilities of the medium itself. Today we are active in 3 core areas: presentation, conservation and research. Through our facilities we provide extensive services for artists and art institutions.
The collection of the Netherlands Media Art Institute comprises over 1800 works, and is the beating heart of the Institute. The oldest tapes date from 1970, and still every year we add about 35 new works to the collection.All tapes and installations from the collection are documented in an on-line public catalogue at www.nimk.nl and are available for rental for screenings and exhibitions.
The history of media art shows that from the very beginning international exchange was going to be an essential part of this art form. Now we distribute yearly almost a thousand works from the collection to 36 countries and we are preparing for the future, as on-line distribution through streaming selected works directly from our servers will be possible soon.

Please note that lectures will be conducted in English.

This program has been made possible with the kind support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Embassy in Cairo.

For more information
___________________________________
CiC
20 Safeya Zaghloul Street, 2nd Floor
Monira 11461, Cairo, Egypt
Tel.: +2 02 794 1686 Mobile: +2 012 115 8700
programs@ciccairo.com

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

67 Eritreans in Detention in Edfu, Aswan

Dear all,

Please find below important news that we received from Mr. Raafat Samir from the Egyptian Organisation from Human Rights, regarding the detention of 67 Eritreans in Edfu, Aswan. Please contact Mr. Rafaat Samir directly for any help you can offer. armhy2007@yahoo.com ; 010 259 89 34

Thank you

Important news: Thursday March 13 2008

To all international and local organisations: Please note that 21 days ago; a group of Eritrean entered the country illegally through the southern Egyptian border to escape gangs, tribes and persecution. There are about 67 in the town of Edfu in Aswan governorate. The group is constituted of 44 men and 17 women and 6 children less than five years old, who are detained for more than twenty days now.
The 44 men are detained in one room (4 × 5 metres) and17 women and 6 children in a room 3 × 4 metres.

Mr. Najib Gabriel Chairman of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights instructed Mr. Samir Raafat, Luxor branch manager to take the necessary measures for the benefit of the detainees who are in the custody of the Egyptian authorities in the town of Edfu, Aswan governorate. Based on that then Mr. Michael Ramsey Attallah met with the warden of Edfu police station and asked to provide humanitarian assistance to the detainees.

The assistance provided was as follows: -

70 daily meals (lunch) starting Monday, February 25 until March 13, totalling to 1330 meal.
Ten blankets in addition to clothing (Men and Women's and children) and some medicines and needed supplies.

Notes:

o One of the detainees was a pregnant woman in the seventh month that has been transferred to a hospital for treatment, and she escaped from the hospital and is still being searched for.
o A group of detainees object to the space limitations and the high temperature and the absence of any sign of deportation from their detention. However, after discussing this with the warden he informed us that there are no other empty spaces in the police station to settle this crowd.

We call on all organisations to find quick solutions against their deportation or to find residency permits from the Egyptian authorities or to transfer them to international refugee organisations. We also hope to find quick solutions for the provision of food and medicines.

* We were informed that there are other groups held by the Egyptian security authorities and those are 46 in Nasr El Nuba and 70 in Draw city in Aswan Governorate.

Thursday, March 13, 2008