Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi

Sisi (2017)

Abd al-Fattah Said Husain Chalil as-Sisi ( Arabic عبد الفتاح سعيد حسين خليل السيسي, DMG ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Saʿīd Ḥusain Ḫalīl as-Sīsī ; Born November 19, 1954 in Cairo ), known as Abdel Fatah El-Sisi , is an Egyptian field marshal and politician . He has held the office of President of Egypt since June 8, 2014 after using the military to put himself to power in the violent coup in 2013 . On February 10, 2019, Sisi was elected President of the African Union for one year .

His style of rule is predominantly described as authoritarian or dictatorial and repressive .

Early military career

Sisi graduated from the Egyptian Military Academy in 1977 . He then became an officer of the mechanized infantry in the field of anti-tank and mortar combat . He later took part in the following courses:

• General Command and Staff Course, Egyptian Command and Staff College (1987)
• General Command and Staff Course, Joint Command and Staff College ( Great Britain 1992)
• War Course, Fellowship of the Higher War College, Nasser's Military Sciences Academy (Egypt 2003)
• War Course, United States Army War College in Carlisle (USA 2006).

In 2008, Sisi became the commander of the North Army Division, then head of the military intelligence service . After a unit abducted around 20 demonstrators from Tahrir Square in the course of the revolution in Egypt in 2011 and forced them to undergo a humiliating virginity test, as-Sisi defended the actions of the thugs against the media that they wanted to counter rape allegations. When Mubarak was overthrown by the Egyptian Revolution in February 2011, the Supreme Military Command, the youngest member of which was as-Sisi, took power.

Commander in Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces

On August 12, 2012, the newly elected President Mohammed Morsi appointed General Sisi to succeed Mohammed Hussein Tantawi as Commander in Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces . He also became Minister of Defense and Military Production and Deputy Prime Minister of the country under Prime Minister Hisham Kandil .

Military coup against President Morsi

Because of the ongoing mass protests against Morsi, Sisi gave all political forces an ultimatum of 48 hours on the afternoon of July 1, 2013. On the evening of July 3, the Kandil government , of which he himself belonged, was ousted by a military coup and new elections were announced. Sisi appointed Adli Mansur (chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court since July 1, 2013 ) as the country's interim president on July 4 . He also announced a new presidential election and the revision of the constitution passed the previous year, which was shaped by the Islamists and passed with a vote of 64 percent of the vote and a turnout of 33 percent. Numerous social forces welcomed this development. However, the coup led to renewed mass protests and an escalation of the situation in the country. On the morning of July 8, 84 demonstrators were shot dead by the military during morning prayers in front of the National Guard barracks , according to the Egyptian Doctors' Union , and 1,000 others were injured.

Hundreds of demonstrators have been shot since August 2013, for example during the carnage in Cairo and Giza in 2013 . Over 500 government opponents were sentenced to death, mostly in rapid trials, and thousands of supporters of both the Muslim Brotherhood and democratic activists and politicians such as Ahmed Maher were imprisoned. Other politicians like Mohammed el-Baradei went abroad. Democratic organizations and parties were dismantled as "terrorist organizations". The media were brought into line under as-Sisi's leadership and later presidency, and other fundamental rights were suspended. Even smearing a monument can be punished as a "terrorist act" with a prison sentence of several years. Anyone who expresses criticism of as-Sisi's politics is considered a member of a “foreign conspiracy”.

On January 27, 2014, Sisi was promoted to field marshal , the highest rank in the Egyptian military, probably at her own initiative. Its ties to the United States are excellent, both to the leadership of the US Army and to the US Department of Defense , which provides $ 1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt's armed forces annually .

Presidency

See also : "Presidential elections 2014" in the article "State crisis in Egypt 2013/2014 (Mahlab cabinet)"

On March 26, 2014, Sisi publicly applied for the presidency of Egypt in a televised address. In the 2014 presidential election , he was considered the favorite for the post, for which two opposing candidates already existed in the left-wing politician Hamdin Sabahi and the Coptic Christian Hala Schukrallah . In order to run for civilian status in accordance with the constitution, Sisi resigned from his posts as army chief, defense minister and vice prime minister. He was elected President of Egypt with 97% of the vote in a 46% turnout, but there have been reports of disagreements and allegations of election fraud. On June 8, 2014, Sisi was sworn in as Egyptian President.

In the following months, while the parliamentary election was postponed to 2015, President Sisi passed numerous laws which, according to non-governmental organizations, “put civil society under pressure”. Among other things, the criminal law was tightened, according to which it became compulsory for domestic and foreign non-governmental organizations to register, and the receipt of money from abroad became a criminal offense if it would harm the interests of the Egyptian state.

Shortly after his election as president, Sisi presented the major project “new Suez Canal ”. A second canal is to be created alongside the previous one. The project had already been initiated under Morsi, but came under fire because it was supposed to be financed by foreign investors. Sisi decided that the construction could only be financed with Egyptian funds. For this purpose, mini-shares were also issued so that as many Egyptians as possible can participate.

After a decapitation video showing the killing of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya by the Islamic State , al-Sisi decided to retaliate. On February 16, 2015, Egypt bombed targets in the IS-controlled Libyan city of Darna . 40 to 50 IS fighters were killed. The Egyptian government had previously cooperated with the Libyan military to fight extremists. as-Sisi then called for the international deployment against ISIS to be expanded to include Libya.

In June 2015, Sisi made a state visit to Germany at the invitation of the German government. This visit was criticized because of the numerous violations of human rights in his country. Bundestag President Norbert Lammert canceled a planned meeting with Sisi because of the persecution of opposition members and the high number of death sentences in Egypt. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch and other organizations jointly called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to address the human rights violations in Egypt to Sisi.

This problem has come to a head since 2016 in connection with the Regeni case . Regeni disappeared from Cairo on January 25, 2016 and was found dead a week later with severe signs of torture. The European Parliament thereupon demanded in a resolution of March 10th the cessation of all arms deliveries to Egypt and emphasized "with deep concern that the Giulio Regeni case is not an isolated case, but is related to torture, deaths in custody and abductions."

The Egyptian organization "Freedom for the Brave" documented that since 2015 the policy of enforced disappearance , which is a crime against humanity , has been practiced in Egypt on an ever larger scale . Between March and June 2015 alone, 167 secular opposition politicians and activists from 2011 "disappeared". Some of them later turned up in prisons, while others have so far lacked any sign of life.

Sisi during the 55th MSC 2019

In 2018, Sisi ran against Moussa Mostafa Moussa from the liberal al-Ghad party in the presidential election in Egypt . Observers saw the little-known politician as an alibi candidate after Moussa had previously supported Sisi and only became an official presidential candidate in January 2018.

Several presidential candidates had previously either been arrested or forced to give up. For example, Al-Sisi's security apparatus tried with all its might to dissuade the opposing candidates Shafiq and Anan from a formal candidacy. Shafiq was expelled from his exile in the United Arab Emirates and held in a hotel in Egypt for four weeks until he later announced his decision not to run for office because he “probably does not have the necessary skills and others are better suited”. Anti-corruption chief Hisham Geneina was ambushed by three men in his car, physically abused and later arrested. The same thing happened to Abdel Moneim Abul Fotuh , presidential candidate against Morsi and a dissident Muslim Brotherhood, although he had not publicly commented on a candidacy. The remaining candidates, Anwar as-Sadat and Khaled Ali, withdrew under these circumstances.

According to the electoral commission, Sisi won the three-day elections, which began on March 26, 2018, with 97.08 percent of the valid votes, while the sham candidate Moussa came with 2.92 percent. According to the election commission, the turnout is said to have been 41.5 percent. Journalists reported being disabled in their work during the election.

In February 2020, the Saxon Order of St. George was awarded to as-Sisi by the organizers of the Semper Opera Ball. Ball boss Hans-Joachim Frey traveled to Cairo for this purpose . The decision in favor of this award winner was heavily criticized nationwide because as-Sisi was "a flawless autocrat and anti-democrat", according to Kai Gehring , Member of the Greens in the Bundestag . As a result of this criticism, Frey announced his withdrawal on February 4th of the price.

Executions

The number of executions increased dramatically under as-Sisi's rule. By April 18, 2019, 15 people had been executed according to AFP calculations.

According to a recent report by the human rights groups Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and Adalah for Rights and Freedoms, 92 people were executed in Egypt from the beginning of 2017 to the end of 2018.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Executions, Agnès Callamard, told AFP that the increasing use of the death penalty was equivalent to "arbitrary killings" intended to break down possible popular opposition.

Relationship to religion

Sisi is a practicing Sunni Muslim and is considered pious, but at the same time is a staunch supporter and admirer of the former Arab nationalist - secular President Gamal Abdel Nasser .

On New Year's Day 2015, which this year coincided with the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed , Sisi called for a "religious revolution" in a speech at Azhar University . It is unbearable that what Muslims consider to be their religious and sacred heritage should be seen by themselves and the rest of the world as a source of fear, danger, killing and destruction. On January 6, 2015, he was the first President of Egypt to attend the Coptic Christmas mass in St. Mark's Cathedral and spoke to the faithful. The unannounced visit was broadcast on Egyptian television. With the words "We are all Egyptians" he appealed to those present and spectators.

family

Sisi is married to Entissar Amer, his maternal cousin. He has a daughter and three sons, five sisters and an older brother. His wife wears a hijab .

literature

• Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 37/2013 of September 10, 2013, in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)

Web links

Commons : Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi  - Collection of images

 Wikinews: Egypt: Army chief al-Sisi allowed to become president  - news

 Wikinews: Egypt's military chief al-Sisi announces presidential candidacy  - news

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Egypt president Sisi takes up AU chairmanship , Africanews.com, February 10, 2019, accessed on February 11, 2019
2. ↑ https://de.qantara.de/inhalt/proteste-in-der-arabischen-welt-%C3%A4ggypt-als-autorit%C3%A4rer-vorreiter
3. ↑ https://de.qantara.de/inhalt/aeggypt-nach-den-protesten-gegen-das-sisi-regime-repression-fuehrt-nicht-zu-stabilitaet
4. ^ Egypt's new defense minister seen as US-friendly. Daily Star, September 10, 2012, accessed June 18, 2013 . 
5. ^ ^{A b} Gregor Mayer: Egypt: General al-Sisi - the mysterious strong man on the Nile. profil online, August 14, 2013, accessed January 7, 2015 . 
6. ↑ Demonstrators forced to take "virginity tests". Amnesty International, amnesty.de 23 March 2011.
7. ↑ Samiha Shafy: The virgins of Tahrir. In: Spiegel Online , June 6, 2011
8. ↑ Egypt's new army chief defended controversial virginity tests. In: Der Standard .at , August 13, 2012
9. ↑ Al-Sisi comes from the world of the secret service. In: Welt.de , August 13, 2012
10. ^ Power struggle in Egypt. President Mursi fires military chief Tantawi. In: Focus Online. Retrieved August 12, 2012 . 
11. ↑ Call for mass rallies. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, July 24, 2013, accessed on January 7, 2015 . 
12. ^ Richard Hall: Profile of Adly Mansour: Who is Egypt's interim President? The Independent , July 3, 2013, accessed July 3, 2013 . 
13. ↑ A bad precedent. Zeit online, July 4, 2013, accessed January 7, 2015 . 
14. ^ Coup in Cairo: Egypt's military overthrows Mursi Spiegel Online, July 3, 2013, accessed on July 3, 2013.
15. ↑ Ben Wedeman, Reza Sayah, Matt Smith: Coup topples Egypt's Morsy; deposed president under 'house arrest'. In: CNN.com , July 4, 2013
16. ↑ الأطباء "84 شهيدا حتى الآن وأكثر من 1000 مصاب حصيلة أحداث الحرس الجمهورى" ( Memento of July 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (" So far 84 dead and more than 1000 wounded in the battles in front of the National Guard") al-Masreyoon, July 9, 2013, accessed July 10, 2013.
17. Jump up ↑ death sentences. tagesschau.de, March 24, 2014, accessed January 7, 2015 . 
18. ↑ Drawing for Freedom. tagesschau.de, May 26, 2014, archived from the original on May 27, 2014 ; accessed on January 7, 2015 . 
19. ↑ Charlotte Wiedemann: About Islam, anti-terrorism and fascism. Qantara.de, April 28, 2014, accessed January 7, 2014 . 
20. ↑ Julia Gerlach: Criticism is taboo in Egypt. Frankfurter Rundschau, November 9, 2014, accessed on January 7, 2015 . 
21. ↑ Egypt: Army chief Sisi is promoted to field marshal Spiegel Online, January 27, 2014, accessed on January 27, 2014.
22. ↑ Martin Gehlen: The army chief is a man of clear words. In: Stuttgarter Zeitung.de. Retrieved July 5, 2013 . 
23. ↑ Al-Sisi: From Putschist to Egyptian President? at dw.de, March 27, 2014 (accessed on March 28, 2014).
24. ^ New President in Egypt at spiegel.de, May 29, 2014 (accessed on May 29, 2014).
25. ↑ Sissi's election victory against the people at zeit.de, May 29, 2014 (accessed on May 29, 2014).
26. ↑ Ex-army chief before election victory in Egypt from handelsblatt.de, May 29, 2014 (accessed on March 23, 2016).
27. ↑ Al-Sisi sworn in as Egyptian President . Süddeutsche Zeitung , June 8, 2014, accessed on August 26, 2020 .  .
28. ^ ^{A b} Elisabeth Lehmann: Egypt is suffocating its civil society. Qantara.de, December 22, 2014, accessed January 11, 2015 . 
29. ^ Egypt plans billions in the expansion of the Suez Canal. Berliner Zeitung , August 5, 2014, accessed on January 17, 2015 . 
30. ↑ Julia Gerlach: The great Egyptian dream. Berliner Zeitung, January 16, 2015, accessed on January 17, 2015 . 
31. ↑ Bombs on Libya: Dozens of IS fighters killed in Egypt's air strikes for revenge. Spiegel Online, February 16, 2015, accessed February 18, 2015 . 
32. ↑ Martin Gehlen, Cairo: Al-Sissi: Moderately welcome guest from the Nile. In: zeit.de . June 1, 2015, accessed June 3, 2015 . 
33. ↑ Raniah Salloum: Egyptian President Sisi in Berlin: Germany sold off its principles. In: Spiegel Online . June 3, 2015, accessed June 3, 2015 . 
34. ^ A dictator in Berlin. In: de.qantara.de. June 1, 2015, accessed June 3, 2015 . 
35. ↑ Germany: Clearly address human rights violations against al-Sisi - Human Rights Watch. In: hrw.org. June 2, 2015, accessed June 3, 2015 . 
36. ↑ Resolution of the European Parliament of March 10, 2016 on Egypt, in particular the Giulio Regeni case (2016/2608 (RSP)). (PDF; 179 kB) In: europarl.europa.eu. European Parliament, March 10, 2016, accessed April 11, 2016 . 
37. ↑ Julia Gerlach: The missed spring , Berlin 2016
38. ↑ ^{a b c} Election in Egypt: The Paranoid Dictator. Retrieved April 18, 2019 . 
39. ↑ Presidential election in Egypt: Al-Sisi gets 97 percent . In: tagesschau.de, April 2, 2018 (accessed April 3, 2018).
40. ↑ mdr.de: Order for Egypt's President - Semperoper distances itself from Semperopernball | MDR.DE. Retrieved January 28, 2020 . 
41. ↑ Semper Opera Ball: Apology to al-Sisi according to the order. In: sueddeutsche.de . Retrieved February 2, 2020 . 
42. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung: Dresden: Al-Sisi gets Semper Opera Ball medals revoked. Retrieved February 5, 2020 . 
43. ^ Christian Weisflog: Egypt: Fifteen executions in three weeks . February 21, 2019, ISSN  0376-6829 ( nzz.ch [accessed April 18, 2019]).
44. ↑ EpochTimes.de: Execution overnight - Egypt is imposing more and more death sentences according to Sharia law. April 16, 2019, accessed on April 18, 2019 (German). 
45. ↑ n-tv NEWS: Increase in executions in Egypt. Retrieved April 18, 2019 . 
46. ↑ Raniah Salloum: Mursi fall in Egypt. Coup of the crafty general. In: Spiegel Online , July 4, 2013.
47. ^ Dana Ford / Salma Abdelaziz / Ian Lee: Egypt's President calls for a 'religious revolution'. CNN, January 6, 2015, accessed January 7, 2015 . 
48. ↑ Dietrich Alexander: Revolution against the moral decline of Islam. Die Welt, January 5, 2015, accessed January 7, 2015 . 
49. ↑ David D. Kirkpatrick / Merna Thomas: Egyptian Leader Visits Coptic Christmas Eve Service. The New York Times, January 6, 2015, accessed January 7, 2015 . 
50. ↑ Christmas greeting that counts a lot. Süddeutsche.de, January 7, 2015, accessed January 8, 2015 . 
51. ^ Egypt's next first daughter? Meet Aya al-Sisi. In: al-Arabiya . May 2, 2014, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
52. ↑ General Al-Sisi: The Man Who Now Runs Egypt Newsweek of August 16, 2013

predecessor	Office	successor
Mohammed Hussein Tantawi	Egyptian Defense Minister 2012 to 2014	Sedki Sobhi