CAIRO: Tosson residents suspended a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Agriculture Saturday as they await the final court verdict in their land dispute case, said lawyer Mohamed Ramadan. Tosson residents in Alexandria have been protesting for two years against the evacuation of 500 families from their homes and razing their houses which were built over an area of 28 feddans owned by the state. "We decided to suspend the sit-in till the next hearing in September," Ramadan, who represents Tosson residents, told Daily News Egypt. Ashraf Ebeid, coordinator of the sit-in, who, along with 23 others refused to suspend the sit-in, was released yesterday after being arrested on charges of "deliberately hindering traffic." According to Michel Raouf, lawyer at the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, who accompanied Ebeid at the investigation, the protestors were planning a group Iftar at the site of the protest. "Senior security officials asked them to leave and cancel their iftar but they refused so they arrested Ebeid on charges of hindering traffic deliberately," Raouf said. Even though he was cleared of all charges, according to Ramadan, Ebeid's release was postponed on account of other felony charges he is currently facing. The Tosson protestors are demanding the opportunity to buy the land they have been living on for years. "We were able to save 25 houses and got a court ruling canceling demolition orders and forcing the government to sell the land to the residents according to Law 148," Ramadan said. "The governor refused to comply and the case is now being examined by Alexandria's administrative court," he added.
