President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi released a statement claiming that free speech rights in Egypt are intact and that there are no political prisoners in the country, while calling for a renewed dialogue on Islam. A traditional Jewish festival that would have taken place on Jan. 10 did not happen as an Alexandria administrative court formally banned it in December. Former president Mohammed Morsi claimed that he is still the country’s chief executive at his trial on espionage charges. A roadside bomb injured four soldiers in the North Sinai. Security forces destroyed a .75 mile tunnel in Rafah used for smuggling across the border between Sinai and Gaza. Egypt will reopen the Rafah border crossing into Gaza for three days starting on Jan. 20.
