Egypt in the News on 23 June 2019
The death of former president Mohamed Morsi continues to drive the conversation on Egypt in the foreign press, with the Washington Post once again questioning his health and medical care. Media coverage of Morsi’s passing, which the AP says was a “brief rallying point” for the Ikhwan, was muted by the government, Reporters Without Borders claims. Turkish president Erdogan meanwhile said he believes the UN will look into the circumstances of Morsi’s death, Reuters reports. The Independent’s Robert Fisk (yes, he’s still writing) launches a brief but damning attack on the hypocrisy of western governments, dripping sarcasm as he calls for “three cheers again for our parliamentary democracies, which always speak with one voice about tyranny.”
Egypt’s attempt to repatriate a 3,000-year-old bust of King Tut is giving new impetus to questions about cultural ownership of ancient artefacts, Heba Saleh writes for the Financial Times. French auction house Christie’s raised Egyptian eyebrows when it announced earlier this month it would auction the sculpture, which it maintains is legal under international treaties. Egypt and other countries have been arguing that many ancient pieces are circulating on the black market as a result of looting, “but some warn that the increase in acrimonious disputes over antiquity sales could drive the trade further into the private market,” Saleh says.
Other headlines worth a moment of your time:
- Amnesty International is calling on Egypt to decide against giving the death penalty to Karim Hemada, who was arrested as a minorfor being a member of a terrorist group. Sentencing was expected to take place yesterday, after his case was referred to the Grand Mufti on 6 June.
- Saidi folkloric music group Mazameer El Nil are getting some love from The Arab Weekly.