Musings From Abroad

US calls for ‘thorough’ investigation into death of Egyptian researcher, Ayman Hadhoud

Published

1 year ago

May 4, 2022

The US States Department has called for a “thorough, transparent, and credible” investigation into the death of Egyptian economic researcher Ayman Hadhoud.

Ayman Hadhoud was a well-known liberal economist in Egypt, who was researching some politically delicate topics in Egypt before he disappeared into the custody of the country’s security forces in early February.

According to official records, Ayman Mohamed Ali Hadhoud died on 5 March, but his body was not handed over to relatives till 9 April

The State Department spokesperson Ned Price made the call in a briefing on Monday while also stressing that the US is disturbed over Hadboud’s death.

“We are deeply disturbed by reports surrounding the death and custody of Egyptian researcher Ayman Hadhoud and allegations of his torture while in detention,”

“The circumstances of his detention and his treatment and of his death we think require a thorough, transparent and credible investigation without delay,” he said.

Politically motivated arrests are common in the North African country. Last month, the state released 41 political prisoners from pre-trial detention, according to a politician-turned-negotiator, in a country where many more remain behind bars.

Rights groups say tens of thousands of Islamists and liberal dissidents have been detained over recent years and many have been denied due process or been subjected to abuse or poor prison conditions.

The United States under the Biden administration has been friends with Egypt but the US in January withheld $130 million of military aid over human rights concerns. It is therefore not unlikely that Hadhoud’s death could provoke actions from Washington.

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Musings From Abroad

Angola, Portugal sign 13-point pact spanning finance, law, others

Published

1 day ago

June 6, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Angola and Portugal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding including 13 different agreements that cut across financial, legal and other critical areas.

The Angolan President, João Lourenço, who received his Portuguese counterpart, António Costa on Monday, revealed that the country was enthusiastic about partnering with its erstwhile colonialist.

“I have to say that we sensed a great willingness to collaborate on the part of the Portuguese justice system, with whom we were able to exchange not only information but also the alignment of Angola’s anti-corruption strategy and to say that in principle everything that was asked of the Portuguese authorities so that we could find the right correspondent”, president Lourenço said.

The Portuguese president announced a rise in its financial commitment to Angola which is a top oil producer in Africa.

“To support the Angolan government’s ambition and strategic approach to diversifying the country’s economy, we have significantly increased the credit line from one thousand five hundred to two billion euros”, announced Costa.

The new agreement will run till 2027. The economies of Angola and Portugal are deeply intertwined, and the two countries share a language and cultural heritage.

According to consular statistics, approximately 100,000 Portuguese nationals work in Angola, with approximately 10,000 Portuguese firms operating in a variety of sectors such as construction, engineering, hospitality, law, and financial services.

Musings From Abroad

Israeli PM, Netanyahu demands investigation over killing of soldiers in Egypt

Published

2 days ago

June 5, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an explanation from Egyptian authorities following the reported killing of three Israeli soldiers by a member of the Egyptian security services.

He told his cabinet in televised remarks that “Israel relayed a clear message to the Egyptian government. We expect that the joint investigation will be exhaustive and thorough.

“We will refresh procedures and methods of operations and also the measures to reduce to a minimum the smuggling and to ensure tragic terrorist attacks like this do not happen again.”

Three Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack near Egypt’s border by a gunman wearing an Egyptian police uniform— the first deadly exchange along the border shared by the two countries in more than a decade.

According to the Israeli military, two soldiers were killed by an Egyptian policeman while securing a military post near the Egyptian border early Saturday. According to the report, the Egyptian officer and a third Israeli soldier were killed in a clash on Israeli territory hours later.

Israeli military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, while addressing journalists, said: “From that moment a terrorist event was declared, leading to sweeps of the area.”

He also revealed that “a drone was sent up and 1.5 kilometres inside Israel a suspicious person was identified.”

Egypt’s relationship with Israel is complicated and has evolved significantly over time. Despite having fought four wars, the two countries now work closely together, primarily on security issues.