The Egyptian Ministry of Interior accused 6 journalists it arrested on Wednesday of belonging to the “Brotherhood” group, which is classified as a terrorist group in Egypt, after union demands for their release.
The ministry said, in a statement on Thursday, that it “detected the existence of a page on the Internet entitled (Don’t Believe) that is unlicensed and managed from abroad, dealing with the broadcast of false news and distortion of facts, and that investigations revealed that it is among the media committees affiliated with the terrorist Brotherhood.”
The security services explained that “the network is run by the fugitive Brotherhood member abroad, Abd al-Rahman Shukri Abd al-Jalil Mansour, and he is aided inside the country by a number of Brotherhood members who prepare false and fabricated news and send it to the aforementioned person to publish it through the aforementioned platform in exchange for financial funds they receive from abroad.”
The Ministry of Interior indicated that “after codifying the procedures, 6 members of the committee were arrested, and it was found that one of them was a member of the Journalists Syndicate, and the rest were not registered with the Syndicate.” According to the statement, “The head of the Journalists Syndicate was informed about the arrest of the aforementioned journalist and the backgrounds and circumstances that led to his arrest. They were also referred to the Public Prosecution for investigation.”
The “Mtsadeqsh” platform, which is concerned with verifying data and news sources, confirmed that the six journalists who were arrested “represent the entire editorial team in the newsroom.”
On Wednesday, the Journalists Syndicate announced that it had filed a complaint with the Ministry of Interior and a report with the Attorney General, demanding the release of the six journalists working on the “Mtsadeqesh” platform, revealing the circumstances and reasons for their arrest, and specifying their places of detention.
The union said, in a report submitted by the head of the Journalists Syndicate, Khaled El-Balshi, that it had received complaints from lawyers and colleagues about the arrest of 6 journalists on the “Don’t Believe” platform, one of whom holds membership in the union. She confirmed that “the six colleagues Abdullah Qadri, Muhammad Sharaf, Muhammad Adel, Islam Barakat, Muhammad Mahmoud, and Omar Hidaya were arrested during the past two days from their homes.”
The union confirmed that it is making “relentless efforts around the clock to release the six colleagues on its guarantee, with its full pledge to appear before any investigations if any accusations are brought against them.”
On Tuesday evening, the Criminal Chamber of the Mauritanian Supreme Court issued a final decision rejecting the appeal submitted by parliamentarians Maryam Sheikh Jenk and Qamo Ashour Salem, and upholding the appeal ruling depriving them of civil and political rights for 5 years, in a development that opens the door to officially declaring their seats in parliament vacant.
The two deputies belong to the “Ira” human rights movement, and entered parliament through the “Al-Sawab” party, which has Baathist nationalist tendencies. The case goes back to last April, following a live broadcast on the social networking site “Facebook,” during which the two parliamentarians criticized President Mohamed Ould Sheikh Al-Ghazouani, in statements that the Public Prosecution considered included an attack on national symbols, an insult to the President of the Republic, and incitement to violence.
The two parliamentarians were arrested under a case of “flagrante delicto,” which allows parliamentary immunity to be exceeded exceptionally. In May, the Western Nouakchott Court issued a ruling to imprison them for 4 effective years, which the Court of Appeal reduced in July to two years, with the addition of deprivation of political rights for 5 years, which is the part that directly affects their parliamentary membership.
After the Court of Appeal’s decision was issued, President Ould Ghazouani issued a presidential pardon that waived the prison sentence, but excluded the deprivation of political and civil rights, while the Constitutional Council subsequently issued a decision stating that it was not possible to confirm that the two deputies had lost their parliamentary status at that stage.
The Council based its decision on the fact that the ruling of the Court of Appeal, issued at that time, had not yet become final because it was still subject to appeal before the Supreme Court. Consequently, the two parliamentarians returned to Parliament temporarily after the guards had prevented them from entering earlier. However, this return was not without additional tension, as Parliament later imposed disciplinary sanctions against them, including temporary expulsion, following a sit-in they organized inside the building.
Today, the deprivation ruling has become final by the decision of the Supreme Court, as it is expected that the procedures for their exit from Parliament will begin to be replaced by others from the same party.
The court's decision sparked an intense political controversy, as the Al-Sawab Party, in a statement, criticized the Supreme Court's decision, considering that it falls within the "policy of silencing the voices of opponents" and restricting parliamentarians, citing Article 50 of the Constitution, which prohibits the prosecution of any representative because of his opinion or vote while performing his duties.
The party described the timing of the decision as coming in a “delicate political circumstance,” noting that the infringement on the freedom of the two representatives extends to “citizens’ right to representation” within Parliament.
This controversy is renewed, at a time when the political parties are preparing to organize a comprehensive national dialogue, called for by Ould Ghazouani, with the aim of reaching a political agreement that leads to agreed-upon reforms.
The interim “national unity” government seeks to expand security cooperation with the United States, in conjunction with moves to rearrange the security and military map in Tripoli, during the visit of the Interior Minister-designate Imad Trabelsi to Washington, which included meetings with prominent American officials.
Trabelsi met with Massad Boulos, the US President's senior advisor for Arab and African affairs, and Wayne Wall, the special assistant to the president and director for Middle East and African affairs at the US National Security Council, late Tuesday evening, Tripoli time.
The discussions included, according to a government statement, a security cooperation agreement between the two countries, supporting the capabilities of the security services and exchanging experiences, in addition to combating irregular migration and enhancing border security, at a time when Washington is intensifying its contacts with the Libyan parties regarding unifying security, military and economic institutions, in parallel with the political path sponsored by the United Nations.
Trabelsi's meeting with an official in the US National Security Council gains additional significance, as it places Libyan-American security cooperation within the framework of broader communications conducted by Washington regarding the future of security and military institutions and arrangements for their unification.
According to a government statement, the meetings discussed ways to develop cooperation between the security institutions in the two countries, enhance capabilities and exchange experiences, as well as the issue of irregular migration and reducing its repercussions, and raising the capabilities of the institutions specialized in securing borders and dealing with this file.
The two sides stressed the importance of continuing coordination and communication, supporting efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in Libya, and developing cooperation mechanisms between security institutions to serve common interests.
Trabelsi went on to stress “the importance of developing areas of joint work between Libyan security institutions and their American counterparts, raising security capabilities, exchanging experiences, and developing coordination mechanisms, in addition to intensifying cooperation in confronting irregular migration and enhancing border security.”
The visit comes at a time when Tripoli is witnessing movements to rearrange the deployment of armed formations and security services, amid the continued multiplicity of active forces within the capital and the overlapping of their areas of influence.
According to an informed political source in Tripoli, the American moves coincide with security arrangements led by parties in the “unity” government, including Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defense Abdul Salam Al-Zoubi and Minister of Interior Imad Trabelsi, to reorganize the security and military map in the capital.
Local media circulated information about the adoption of a plan by the Prime Minister of the “Unity” Government, Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba, during a security meeting in Misrata, to redistribute the armed formations in Tripoli, after classifying them as “reliable” and “unreliable.” The “unity” government did not confirm or deny this information.
Tension has returned over the past few days between security and military formations in the capital, against the backdrop of a dispute over the deployment on “Al-Qadisiyah Island” in central Tripoli, reflecting the continued fragility of the security arrangements that were reshaped over the past two years, despite the “unity” government’s efforts to reorganize the presence of the armed forces and security services inside the capital.
Since last year's clashes, the Dabaiba government has been working to rearrange the security map in Tripoli, but at the same time it has relied on more than one force to secure the capital, which has kept the balance between armed formations a major factor in determining the nature of security deployment.
In eastern Libya, a parallel French move emerged with the leadership of the National Army, as Lieutenant General Khairy Al-Tamimi, Secretary-General of the General Command, received French Ambassador Thierry Valla and the new military attaché Tanguy Trouguier, on Tuesday, in a meeting that dealt with developing relations, coordination and exchanging experiences.
The meeting came after the arrival of the French support ship “Loire” to the Benghazi naval base. The ship belongs to the category of multi-mission support and assistance ships, and is used for logistical support, training and technical assistance.
The ship had recently participated in naval activity off the western coast of Libya, alongside Algerian and Italian ships, as part of the activities of the “5+5 Defense” initiative aimed at enhancing maritime security and safety, exchanging experiences, and raising operational readiness.
France co-chairs the security working group emanating from the Berlin process, and supports dialogue between the security institutions in eastern and western Libya, while the United States places unifying institutions and enhancing security cooperation among the axes of its communications with the Libyan parties.
