Death sentence for Egyptian policeman

An Egyptian police officer convicted of killing 20 protesters during demonstrations that brought down Hosni Mubarak's government in February has been sentenced to death.

Mohamed Ibrahim Abdel-Monem was found guilty in his absence on Sunday of shooting dead "at random" 20 protesters on January 28, one of the most violent days of the uprising that lasted 18 days.

The criminal court in Cairo referred the case to the Grand Mufti, Egypt's religious authority who must approve all death sentences.

The sentencing follows long jail terms given to Mubarak-era officials who have been found guilty of corruption in an ongoing campaign by the military-led government to address protesters' demands, including swift trial for people accused of wrongdoing.

Mubarak himself, his wife Suzanne and his powerful sons are being investigated for abuse of power and amassing illegally acquired wealth.

In May, Habib al-Adly, Egypt's former interior minister, was sentenced to 12 years in jail for money laundering and profiteering.

Al-Adly is accused of ordering police to fire upon pro-democracy protesters and is one of the most senior ministers from the former government to be put on trial.

Another former minister, Zoheir Garranah, who headed the tourism portfolio, was sentenced to five years after he was found guilty of handing out tourism licences illegally.

Source: Al Jazeera, May 22, 2011

First death sentence imposed in killing of Egyptian protesters

A Cairo court on Sunday imposed the first death sentence in the killing of protesters during the popular uprising that deposed President Hosni Mubarak, condemning a police officer who was tried in absentia.

It was the first such sentence in over a dozen court cases involving police shooting and killing protesters. Lawyers said because the officer, Mohammed Mahmoud, was tried in absentia, the court felt free to pass the maximum sentence. Once he is arrested, Mr. Mahmoud would get a new trial, human rights lawyer Taher Abou el-Nasr said.

Mr. Mahmoud, a low ranking police officer, was convicted of killing at least 20 protesters and injuring many by randomly firing his rifle.

The families of the victims outside the courtroom in Cairo broke out in cheers upon hearing the news. Some shouted: “God is Great.”

An Islamic cleric has to approve the sentence, and then the court would ratify it.

During the 18-day uprising that ended with Mr. Mubarak's exit on Feb. 11, at least 846 protesters were killed, according government records.

Egypt's former security chief and his top aides are facing trial on charges of issuing orders to shoot and kill protesters. Mr. Mubarak himself may face similar charges, but the investigation against him is still in progress.

Source: The Globe and Mail, May 22, 2011
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Egypt teenager’s death sentence condemned

Amnesty International today condemned the death sentence handed down by a Cairo military court against a 17-year-old boy, warning that unfair military trials are corroding Egypt’s criminal justice system.

Ahmed Marous Ibrahim was 1 of 4 people sentenced to death by hanging by Cairo’s Supreme Military Court for abducting and raping a 17-year-old girl.

“The military cannot be judge, prosecutor and executioner in post-uprising Egypt,” said Amnesty International.

“If justice is truly to be done for this terrible crime, the accused must first have a fair and public hearing before a criminal court and the victim be granted the right to confront the suspects,” said the organization.

“Sentencing a minor to death is frankly abhorrent and goes against a very clear prohibition in international law“.

The other three men convicted in the case are Mohamed Tarek Ragheb, 33, Karim Dahrouj Ahmed el-Sawy, 28, and Mahmoud Ramadan Abdul Hussein, 21.

Amnesty International is calling for Ahmed Marous Ibrahim and the 3 others to be re-tried before a civilian court. The organization has also urged the Egyptian authorities to ensure that the girl who was sexually assaulted is offered support, including counselling, and sees justice being done in a open and fair trial.

Hundreds of civilians have been tried before military courts since the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Egypt’s governing military body, took power in February 2011. The SCAF has pledged to hand over power to civilians before the end of this year.

Amnesty International opposes trials of civilians before military courts, whose judges are serving members of the military.

“These courts flout international standards for fair trial, and are grossly unjust. The faith of many Egyptians in the criminal justice system is being sorely tested by military courts”.

“Law and order cannot be restored with the summary trials and sentencing of hundreds of civilians”.

Those convicted face an uncertain future. In military trials, the right to appeal to a higher tribunal is limited to hearings before the Supreme Court for Military Appeals (SCMA) which is composed exclusively of military officers.

The SCMA only examines the law and its interpretation, rather than the evidence itself or the factual basis of the charges. The right to an effective appeal is a fundamental judicial guarantee.

On 1 April, the SCAF announced that it would permit the death penalty for convicted rapists if the victim was under 18. The law would apply to minors under 18 as well. Both Egyptian and international law prohibit the death penalty for minors.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as the ultimate form of inhumane and degrading punishment.

Source: Amnesty International, May 19, 2011

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Egypt's trial by fire

Hosni Mubarak, the man who ruled Egypt for three decades, has been declared healthy enough to be transferred from his hospital in the luxury resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, to the infamous Tora prison on the outskirts of Cairo, the capital.

Although the relocation may take weeks as the prison is outfitted with the necessary medical equipment, the move signifies a dramatic escalation in the possibility that Mubarak will face trial, a turn of events most Egyptians never dreamed possible.

Mubarak is being held on charges of corruption, amassing wealth in the tens of billions during his 30-year reign, which has potentially made him one of the richest men in the world. Mubarak's wife, Suzanne, and two sons, Gamal and Ala'a, face similar charges.

The most serious accusation, however, is documented in the report of the official state fact-finding mission responsible for investigating the deaths of over 800 protesters during Egypt's revolution that began on January 25 and led to the ouster of Mubarak and his government.

It contends that the former Egyptian president bares ultimate responsibility for the killings, after his Minister of Interior, Habib el-Adly, directly ordered security forces to quell the uprising with live ammunition, among other brutal and subversive tactics. El-Adly, one of the most loathed officials in Mubarak's regime, was convicted of profiteering and money laundering on Thursday and sentenced to 12 years in prison, a sign of the seriousness of Egypt's new leaders to carry out the people's demands for justice. If el-Adly is convicted of murder in an upcoming trial set to commence on May 21, he could potentially face the death sentence.

Click here to read the full article.

Source: Al Jazeera, May 11, 2011

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Christians Worry That They Face More Violence In Egypt

Photo: Coptic Christians protest Monday night outside the state TV building in Cairo. Credit: Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times

Egypt Violence Heightens Concern About Growing Salafi Role -- Christian Science Monitor

Salafis, who subscribe to a strict version of Islam, were blamed in weekend attacks against Christians in Cairo. Many Egyptians worry that extremists could play a greater role in post-Mubarak Egypt.

The deadly clashes between Muslims and Christians in Cairo this weekend have heightened already growing concern about the role of fundamentalist Muslims known as Salafis in post-revolution Egypt.

Salafis, who have no organized group or structure, have long shunned politics in Egypt. But since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak, whose secular regime repressed Islamists and extremists of all stripes, Salafis have begun to vocally enter the political fray. The strident sectarian rhetoric and recent attacks on Christians has many Egyptians worried that extremist forces could find a greater role in the new Egypt.

Read more ....

More News On The Plight Of Christians In Egypt

Egyptian Christians say they are 'under organised attack' -- The Telegraph
After Deadly Clashes, Egypt's Christians On Edge -- NPR
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giftians Protest Violence In Cairo Demonstration -- Radio Free Europe
Egypt riots raise worries over Islamic hard-liners -- Ynet News
Egypt riots raise worries over Islamic hard-liners -- Seattle PI/AP
Coptic protesters demand government accountability, protection -- L.A. Times
Egyptian press fears communal chaos -- BBC
Only tolerance can win in Egypt -- Joseph Mayton, DAWN
What role will Islam play in the new Egypt? -- Washington Post
The Islamist vision of post-revolutionary Egypt: Analysis -- CBC

Muslim - Christian Clashes In Egypt

Muslim-Christian Clashes Kill 10 In Cairo -- The Guardian

Two churches set on fire after claims a Christian woman was being prevented from converting to Islam

Egypt's transitional government has called a crisis meeting after Muslim-Christian clashes in Cairo left 10 dead and cast a new cloud over hopes for peaceful post-revolutionary change.

A Coptic church in the Imaba neighbourhood was set on fire after fighting broke out over claims that a Christian woman was being held and prevented from converting to Islam.

Read more

More News On Muslim - Christian Violence In Egypt

Mobs set Egypt churches on fire, 10 killed -- Yahoo News/AP
Military trial for 190 after Egypt sectarian clashes -- Yahoo News/AFP
Ten dead in Egypt clash, premier calls talks -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Scores held in Egypt after sectarian clashes -- Al Jazeera
State TV: At least 12 killed, 232 wounded in clashes at Cairo church -- CNN
Egypt to Try 190 People for Sectarian Violence -- Voice of America
Egypt: 10 killed in religious clashes in Cairo -- The Telegraph
Death toll in sectarian clash in Cairo rises to ten -- Xinhuanet
Coptic Christians in Egypt: Standing at the Crossroads -- Mirette Bahgat, Huffington Post

Switzerland Identifies $1bn Worth of Dictators' Assets
THE GUARDIAN: Three-year freeze for Swiss bank assets of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, Egypt's Hosni Murbarak and Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

The Swiss government says it has identified potential assets to be frozen worth 830m Swiss francs (nearly $1bn or £600m) belonging to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and the ousted presidents of Egypt and Tunisia.

Swiss president and foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, speaking in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, said the assets include 360m Swiss francs that may belong to Gaddafi or his entourage.

She said Switzerland had also linked 410m Swiss francs to the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, and 60m Swiss francs to Tunisia's deposed autocrat, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Switzerland has ordered banks and other financial institutions to freeze possible assets belonging to the three men and their key supporters to prevent the funds from being secretly withdrawn. The Swiss government has said Tunisia and Egypt have already started legal proceedings to claim the assets.

The government added that neither country has yet provided the necessary evidence of possible criminal wrongdoing involving the money. » | Associated Press in Geneva | Tuesday, April 03, 2011

Four Bahrain protesters sentenced to death

The now-bulldozed Pearl Roundabout

A court in Bahrain has convicted four demonstrators and sentenced them to death over the killing of two police officers during pro-democracy protests.

Three others were sentenced to life in prison by the military court.

Bahraini authorities have responded harshly to protests which began in February, following uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Hundreds of people have been detained for taking part in protests, many unable to communicate with family.

The seven defendants were tried behind closed doors on charges of premeditated murder of government employees - allegedly running two police officers over in a car.

Rights groups say they were denied communication with family or friends and had little access to legal counsel.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges, reports said.

Crackdown

The trial was the first publicly announced since the Gulf state was put under martial law in mid-March.

That followed more than a month of protests, during which demonstrators had occupied the now-bulldozed Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama.

At least 30 people have been killed since the protests erupted, with four protesters believed to have died in police custody.

Bahrain blames Iran for fomenting the protests, but analysts point to long-simmering tensions between the ruling Sunni minority and Shia majority.

Source: BBC, April 28, 2011

Bahrain sentences protesters to death

A Bahraini military court has sentenced four Shia protesters to death and three to life jail terms for the killing of two policemen during demonstrations last month, state media has reported.

Thursday's verdicts are the first related to the uprising against the Gulf kingdom's ruling family, which begain in February.

The seven defendants were tried behind closed doors on charges of premeditated murder of government employees, which their lawyers have denied.

A Shia opposition official named those sentenced to death as Ali Abdullah Hasan, Qasim Hassan Mattar, Saeed Abdul Jalil Saeed, and Abdul Aziz Abdullah Ibrahim.

He told the AFP news agency that Issa Abdullah Kazem, Sadiq Ali Mahdi, and Hussein Jaafar Abdul Karim were sentenced to life in prison.

Sheikh Ali Salman, president of Bahrain's Al Wefaq, the largest Shia political group in the country, told Al Jazeera that the punishments did not fit the crime.

"I believe that these sentences should be revised and the international community must intervene to stop this," he said.

He added that the proceedings were "unprecedented" and that question marks remain over the conditions the detainees are living in.

Government officials have said that a total of four policemen were killed during the unrest that gripped the country in February and March, at least three of whom were run over by cars around March 16.

Hundreds of thousands of Bahrain's Shia-led opposition have called for greater rights and freedoms in the Sunni monarchy.

Authorities have detained hundreds since martial law was declared last month to quell dissent.

Source: Al Jazeera, April 28, 2011
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Egypt ex-minister put on trial for shootings

Former interior minister faces the death penalty if found guilty of killing protesters.

Habib al-Adly, Egypt's ex-interior minister, has gone on trial in Cairo for the 2nd time.

He is accused of having ordered the shooting of demonstrators during protests that toppled the former regime.

Adly has been charged along with 6 former aides, the state news agency reported on Tuesday. His case has been adjourned until late May.

He is also being held responsible for insecurity that prevailed after police disappeared from the streets of Cairo in the early days of the protests.

According to an official toll, 846 people were killed and several thousand wounded during 18 days of massive nationwide street protests that forced president Hosni Mubarak to quit on February 11.

Adly was also the 1st member of Mubarak's regime to be put on trial in another case of embezzlement, in which he has pleaded not guilty.

The court was placed under high security, with lorry-loads of riot police and army tanks stationed outside the building.

'Trial of the revolution'

Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh said from Cairo: "This is the trial of the revolution, the proceedings of which many hope will avenge the families of those who lost their lives or were injured during the 18-day revolt.

"The way people look at this trial is not just in terms of the fact that it carries the most serious charges into the event of the revolution, the charges of killing the protesters, which carry the death penalty.

"But also in terms of the symbolism really, this not just being seen as a trial of individuals, but also a trial of the institution, the institution of violence as it is being described here."

Around 50 people, including family members of slain protesters, staged a demonstration outside the court, shouting, "Death penalty for Adly!".

"After all, it was police brutality and their excessive use of force, that was one of the main reasons that sparked this revolution and gave momentum... to the protests during the uprising after the violence perpetrated by security forces against the protesters," our correspondent said.

The removal of Adly from office was one of the chief demands of protesters when they launched the revolution against Mubarak's regime on January 25.

Adly, along with a German businessman and Yussef Boutros-Ghali, former finance minister, is also accused of illegally profiteering from a deal to import new vehicle number plates which they allegedly bought directly without a public tender as required by law.

Source: Al Jazeera, April 27, 2011

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Egypt's fallen president faces execution or life imprisonment if found guilty

Tahrir Square, Cairo
January 2011

Deposed President Hosni Mubarak could face execution or life imprisonment if convicted of the charges of complicity to murder, corruption and plunder of public money, for which he is currently being investigated.

All of Egypt was taken aback by Prosecutor-general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud ordering that the detention of deposed President Hosni Mubarak should be extended for a further 15 days. Not only did Abdel-Meguid’s order come after conflicting reports on the health condition of the deposed president, who is currently being held in Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital, but also after widespread rumours that he might not be taken to Cairo to face more extensive questioning or to be placed at the hospital attached to Tora prison, where his two sons and most of his ex-regime’s henchmen are held in custody.

An official statement emphasised that Mubarak was questioned on two serious charges: ordering the killing of pro-democracy protesters in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in the country, and helping business tycoon Hussein Salem monopolise the sale of Egypt’s natural gas to Israel, at very cheap prices against a hefty commission. Mubarak was questioned in the presence of his lawyer, Farid El-Deeb. A team of doctors are to examine Mubarak on 26 April to see whether he can be moved to Tora prison in south Cairo or to the prison hospital.

The questioning of Mubarak came just a few days after several of his defunct ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) senior officials and business tycoons came under investigation on charges of involvement in mass murder, corruption and profiteering.

Questioned as a witness, Mubarak’s 13-day vice-president and former chief of intelligence Omar Suleiman said on 18 April that Mubarak had never issued orders to former interior minister Habib El-Adly to open fire on protesters. “On the contrary,” said Suleiman, “Mubarak was very clear in instructing El-Adly and police forces to exercise restraint, and to seek the help of the army in peacefully containing the protesters,” said Suleiman. The 13-day vice-president rather placed all the blame on the former interior minister for the killing of protesters on the 28 January (the Friday of Rage). “Though El-Adly was instructed by Mubarak to exercise restraint and seek the help of the army, El-Adly opted to issue orders for security forces to withdraw and open fire on protesters to protect themselves,” Suleiman said.

However, the former intelligence chief added, “I has strong suspicions that many of the NDP’s senior officials were implicated in masterminding the attacks on protesters at Tahrir Square on the 2nd of February (popularly known as the Battle of the Camel) but I do not know whether Mubarak had a hand in this battle or not."

In his own questioning, Mubarak's son and heir apparent Gamal vehemently denied that he had ever given orders to El-Adly to open fire on protesters.” In Gamal’s words “I have never been a state official, and never had the authority to give orders to anybody."

Mubarak himself told investigators during a very brief questioning on 13 April that he never issued orders for El-Adly to open fire on protesters. “El-Adly told me that a lot of Muslim Brotherhood members had infiltrated the Tahrir Square demonstrations, and we had fears that the revolution of the youth would be stolen by radical Islamists, but we never went to the extent of giving orders to kill the protesters."

All these testimonies were given the lie, however, by a report issued by a fact-finding committee on the bloody events of the 28 January and the Battle of the Camel on February 2nd. The report, released in a press conference on 19 April, pointed accusing fingers at Mubarak himself and his ex-interior minister Habib El-Adly.

In the words of the report, El-Adly could not issue orders for opening fire on protesters without the clear consent of Mubarak in his capacity as the President of the Republic. The report deplored that “neither the president nor the interior minister had ordered any investigation into these bloody incidents, nor did they intervene to bring a stop to the attacks or to hold accountable those who fired live rounds.” This, concluded the report, “means that Mubarak and his interior minister should be held accountable either by actual involvement or by complicity."

Concerning the “Battle of the Camel”, the report shied away from pointing direct accusing fingers at Mubarak. It stressed, however, that several senior officials of the defunct NDP participated in masterminding and sponsoring these attacks. Fathi Sorour, the former parliamentary speaker, also held in detention, told prosecutors on 20 April that he had never received orders by phone from Mubarak to send thugs and hooligans from south Cairo’s densely-populated El-Sayeda Zeinb district to attack protesters by use of knives, daggers, cudgels and molotov cocktails. Testimony provided by other former NDP MPs – especially the deputy of Al-Haram (the Pyramids) district, Abdel-Nasser El-Gabry, told investigators that top-ranking NDP officials, including Mubarak and his son Gamal, masterminded the attacks on protesters on 2nd February by camel and horse-back hooligans wielding swords and cudgels.

Mubarak was also questioned over his part in the signing of a natural gas export deal with Israel at prices below international markets, which amounted to a waste of public funds. On 21 April, prosecutor-general Abdel-Meguid ordered that former minister of petroleum Sameh Fahmi and five ex-ministry officials be remanded into custody for 15 days pending investigation into the sale of natural gas to Israel at below market prices. On 20 April, Abdel-Meguid ordered police authorities to ask Interpol to arrest businessman Hussein Salem who is charged with giving Mubarak a hefty commission in return for being given a monopoly of the sale of natural gas to Israel.

The prosecutor-general’s office unveiled that the selling of cheap Egyptian natural gas to Israel at prices far below international market rates lost the state treasury some $714 million. Israel gets 40 percent of its natural gas from Egypt, under an agreement signed in December, 2005. The fugitive Hussein Salem and other Israeli, American and Tai investors own, East Mediterranean Gas (EMG), which has a monopoly of the supply of Egyptian natural gas to Israel via a pipeline between Al-Arish, the capital of north Sinai, and the port city of Ashkelon in Israel.

It is widely rumoured that the ex-minister of petroleum, Sameh Fahmi, was formerly a consultant to Hussein Salem and he was rewarded in 1999 by being appointed a minister of petroleum to facilitate the selling of gas to Israel. Fahmi was helped several times by NDP officials to dodge answering questions leveled by opposition MPs during the 2005-2010 People’s Assembly on the sale of gas to Israel.

As for Salem, he has been branded by the press as Mubarak’s “front man” and “the king of Sharm El-Sheikh”. Salem told an Egyptian newspaper few years ago that he "knew Mubarak in the late 1960s and that since then they have held a strong friendship.” Several Western and local press reports have revealed evidence that Mubarak and Salem made a vast fortune from commissions gained from transporting American military assistance shipments to Egypt after signing peace with Israel in 1979. In 1994, Salem built the Mubarak family 3 luxurious villas at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh where Mubarak opted to stay after being deposed from power on 11 February.

Several judicial experts believe that Mubarak may be executed or jailed for life if convicted of the charges against him. Zakaria Shalash, a legal expert, said Mubarak could face execution if found guilty of ordering the killing of protesters and peddling influence to embezzle public funds.

Source: Ahram Online, April 23, 2011

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Egypt, predictably, begins to go the way of radical Islam

Author: Bruce McQuain
 
Damien McElroy in Cairo, reporting for the UK Telegraph, has the following observations:

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest Islamic movement and the founder of Hamas, has set up a network of political parties around the country that eclipse the following of the middle class activists that overthrew the regime. On the extreme fringe of the Brotherhood, Islamic groups linked to al-Qeada are organising from the mosques to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of the dictatorship.

The military-led government already faces accusations that it is bowing to the surge in support for the Muslim movements, something that David Cameron warned of in February when he said Egyptian democracy would be strongly Islamic.

{feigned surprise} Oh, my, who’d have thought that could happen?  Only the terminally naïve or those with no understanding of the area or human nature would have figured otherwise. 

Power vacuums produce opportunities for others to fill them.  The US helped create that vacuum by insisting Hosni Mubarak must step down. 

Usually, as we’ve mentioned here any number of times, the most organized and ruthless succeed in filling such power vacuums.  And that’s precisely the case in Egypt where Islam in general is as pervasive as the air breathed there and the Muslim Brotherhood, while never allowed to be in power previously, was the most organized of the groups with the potential to fill the power vacuum.

And that is coming to fruition.  Not just in an Islamic sense, but in an Islamist sense as well.  The Muslim factions are poised to take over and control any government voted in by the public and do it in a big way:

Mohammed Badie, the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader, last week predicted the group’s candidates would win 75 per cent of the seats it contested.

Fundamentalist factions have also emerged as parties. Gamaa al-Islamiya, an al-Qaeda linked group that promotes Salafist traditions has used its mosques as a political base for the first time since the 1970s.

Egypt attempted in the past – however oppressive that effort was – to keep a largely secular government, at least by Middle Eastern standards.  And that was to our benefit and certainly to the benefit of the region.  It produced the peace treaty with Israel and ushered in a few decades of relatively peaceful times in the Middle East.  That’s pretty much likely to go by the wayside soon.  This next government will be steeped in Islam if not a good measure of Islamism.  That has been ordained by the first “democratic” vote in Egypt:

A scare campaign that a No vote in last months referendum would eliminate Islamic law from the Egyptian constitution ensured a 77 per cent Yes result.

As for those who participated in the April 6th movement and want a more secular and democratic Egypt?  Well, again, the best organized is the most likely to succeed, right?  And they have little or no organization:

But the April 6th movement that spearheaded protests has no clear plan for party politics. Diplomats have warned the demonstrators are not well prepared for elections.

"The leadership of the protests was so focused on the street-by-street detail of the revolution, they have no clue what to do in a national election," said a US official involved in the demonstrations. "Now at dinner the protesters can tell me every Cairo street that was important in the revolution but not how they will take power in Egypt."

Entirely predictable and clearly not in the best interest of the US – which calls into question the administration’s decision not to back Mubarak but call for his ouster.  The result is an unintended consequence one assumes – we backed a faction that we knew little about, which has had little impact since and now we’re going to see results that we don’t want and are not in the best interests of the US or peace in the region.  The same could be said about Libya.

Finally, don’t be fooled by the “independent” status of Egyptian political candidates for the Presidency there.  Their independence is in name only as they must court the factions that are likely to hold power in any legislature that forms.

Although the leading contenders for Egypt’s presidency are independents, many have begun wooing the Muslim blocs. Front-runner Amr Moussa, the Arab League president, has conceded that its inevitable that Islamic factions will be the bedrock of the political system.

Of course they will and that means, inevitably, that Egypt will eventually revoke its treaty with Israel thereby setting the peace process back to square one.

Yes, this has been beautifully played by the President and the State Department.  If naiveté in foreign affairs was ever more  evident than now, I’m having difficulty remembering it (Jimmy Carter is as close as it comes, and they’re making even him look competent).
~McQ

Egypt: Blogger Sentenced to 3 Years for Insulting the Military

Along the many years where the former president Hosni Mubarak ruled the country we didn’t witness large scale of cases where a blogger gets jailed for a blog-post. The first case in Egypt was in 2007 when Kareem Amer was sentenced for 4 years in jail based on blog-posts, he was charged for insulting Islam and Mubarak.

Maikel Nabil

 

On 6 April 2011, a military tribunal took place against Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil, 26 years-old, on charges of “insulting the military” and yesterday 10 April the court sentenced Nabil for 3 years in prison.Maikel Nabil is sent to prison over blog-post he wrote about violations committed by the military offices against civilians since the revolution and criticizing the army in Egypt.

During the past few years, Egyptian activists and journalists have broke many taboos through media platforms. The army and military forces was one of the main taboos during Mubarak’s time and is still a “red-line” in the offline media, and now the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is threatening the online community by “punishing” netziens for practicing the right to freedom of expression and speaking about the military behavior.

The army in Egypt is sending a clear message that they don’t accept criticism and the charges against Nabil could be easily set against any other Egyptian netizen and human rights defenders to stop them from addressing human rights violations committed by military officers.

Written by Ramy Raoof

Muslim Brotherhood Advocates "Modesty Police" ... in EGYPT

I hope the American neocons are taking off their rose-colored glasses to read today's JPost:

Officials of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's leading Islamic group, have called for the establishment of a Saudi-style modesty police to combat "immoral" behavior in public areas in what observers say in another sign  of a growing Islamic self-confidence in the post-Mubarak era.

In the political sphere, the Brotherhood led a successful drive to get voters to approve a package of constitutional amendments. On the street level, at least 20 attacks were perpetrated against the tombs of Muslim mystics (suffis), who are the subject of popular veneration but disparaged by Islamic fundamentalists, or salafis. After some initial hesitation, Islamic leaders have publicly praised the revolution.

"This is incredibly worrying to many Egyptians," Maye Kassem, a political scientist at the American University in Cairo (AUC), told The Media Line. "The salafis were always undercover in Egypt and now they are emerging as a political force. They are getting too vocal."

Newly freed from the political strictures of the Mubarak era, Egypt has turned into a battleground between those who envision a liberal, secular state and those who advocate various shades if Islam. The conflict mirrors those taking place elsewhere in the region. In Bahrain, unrest has evolved into a conflict between Sunni- and Shiite Muslims and the US has pulled back from supporting Libyan rebels over concerns they are dominated by Islamists....

Uprising Ruins Egypt's Tourism
Egypt eagerly wants to regain its position as a major tourist destination. The sector has been crippled by the violence that led to the 18 day revolution toppling the Mubarak regime. Tourism accounts for 11 per cent of Egypt's struggling economy and one in eight jobs depend on it. But as Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reports from Luxor, there are no signs yet of tourists returning

Mubarak Family Riches Attract New Focus
THE NEW YORK TIMES: After Hosni Mubarak’s younger son, Gamal, left his job as an executive with Bank of America in London in the mid-1990s, he joined forces with Egypt’s largest investment bank. Today he has a significant stake in a private equity company with interests throughout the Egyptian economy, from oil to agriculture to tourism, corporate records and interviews show.

During President Hosni Mubarak’s nearly 30-year rule, he and his family were not flamboyant with their wealth, particularly by the standards of other leaders in the Middle East. While there is no indication that Gamal Mubarak or the bank were involved in illegal activity, his investments show how deeply the family is woven into Egypt’s economy.

Now with Hosni Mubarak out of power, there are growing calls for an accounting to begin.

Within hours of Mr. Mubarak’s resignation on Friday, Swiss officials ordered all banks in Switzerland to search for — and freeze — any assets of the former president, his family or close associates. In Egypt, opposition leaders vowed to press for a full investigation of Mr. Mubarak’s finances.

Tracing the money is likely to be difficult because business in Egypt was largely conducted in secret among a small group connected to Mr. Mubarak.

“Now we open all the files,” said George Ishak, head of the National Association for Change, an opposition umbrella group. “We will research everything, all of them: the families of the ministers, the family of the president, everyone.”

Estimates of the Mubaraks’ fortune vary wildly, including a widespread rumor that they are worth as much as $70 billion. United States officials say that figure is vastly exaggerated and put the family’s wealth at $2 billion to $3 billion. >>> NEIL MacFARQUHAR, DAVID ROHDE and ARAM ROSTON | Saturday, February 12, 2011

THE SUNDAY TIMES: SFO hunts Hosni Mubarak’s missing millions >>> David Leppard and Richard Kerbaj | Sunday, February 13, 2011 [£]

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak steps down after 18 days of uninterrupted protests

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Egypt’s Economy in Turmoil

Egypt's Revolt Hits UK Businesses
With revolt on the streets some of Egypt's ports have been closed, hitting companies importing Egyptian products. But some analysts believe the downturn will prove temporary. Nadim Baba has more

Egypt in Crisis: Business Collapse Piles Pressure on Mubarak
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Factories are closed, cash machines running dry, and food and petrol shortages feared, but some say it is a price worth paying

The industrial city of Abu Rawash sits in the desert beyond the pyramids. You reach it down a dusty road that seems to lead to nowhere. Then the factories and warehouses begin: Toyota, Hyundai, Mazda and Jeep deserted save for a handful of security guards sitting in front of a vacant parking lot for absent staff.

Outside the gates of the Toyota warehouse Ayman Ibrahim is talking to the gatekeeper. The factories are closed, the man tells Ibrahim, who owns a window business on the same site. They won't reopen until at least mid-week. Perhaps even Friday. No one really knows.

The closures in places such as Abu Rawash have been accompanied by calls from unions for an indefinite general strike. "I'm losing £10,000 pounds a week," says Ibrahim. "But it's worth it, I've been to the protest in Tahrir Square for the past three days with my kids. Mubarak is costing me money, but he has been costing Egypt money for 30 years." >>> Peter Beaumont in Cairo | Monday, January 31, 2011

BTW, I just noticed that this is the 501st post in The Road To Khalistan.  I invite you all to join me in a nice cup of ginger tea!

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This picture really made me sit up and take notice!

An Woman in the Uprising

This picture is from the Humans's Rights Photos:  Slideshow:  Women in the Egyptian Uprising, located in Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/humanrights.change.org?v=wall#!/album.php?aid=268678&id=327200178036

Egypt sentences Muslim to death for Coptic shooting

CAIRO — An Egyptian state security court on Sunday sentenced a Muslim man to death for killing six Coptic Christians and a Muslim police officer in a drive-by shooting on Coptic Christmas Eve in January 2010.

Mohamed Ahmed Hussein, 39, known as Hamam Kamouni, had been charged with the "premeditated murder" of the Christians and the police officer and with "intimidating citizens" in Nagaa Hamady in southern Egypt after mass on the eve of Coptic Christmas.

The judge said Hussein's sentence would be sent to the Grand Mufti for confirmation, a reference to Egypt's top religious authority who is called on to confirm death sentences.

The court said Hussein's two accomplices, Kurashi Abu Haggag and Hindawi Muhammed Sayyid, who were charged with aiding in the murder and possession of weapons, would be announced on February 20.

Christians account for about 10 percent of Egypt's mostly Muslim population of about 80 million. Sectarian violence is rare, but disputes over issues including land rights or personal relationships occasionally erupt.

Last week a Muslim policeman was charged with shooting dead a Christian man on a train in the town of Samalut in southern Egypt and he will be tried for premeditated murder.

A New Year bombing outside a church in the port city of Alexandria killed 23 people and injured dozens in what analysts say was the worst attack on Christians in recent Egyptian history. The attack prompted protests by both Christians and Muslims.

The Nagaa Hamady shooting, in which nine Copts were injured, provoked protests by more than 1,000 local Copts.

Southern Egypt is much less developed than the capital Cairo. Nagaa Hamady, which has a large Coptic population, is about 60 km (40 miles) north of the tourist and archaeological center of Luxor.

The referral of death sentences to the Grand Mufti is a procedural step that almost always results in confirmation of the sentence.

Source: Reuters, January 16, 2011