- Democracy
- July 10, 2011
- 7 minutes read
Desperation Replaces Hope as Egyptians Struggle to Fulfill Revolution Demands
Less than six months after the January 25th Revolution – ample time to start the wheels of justice turning, and the transition to civil rule – Egyptians are still waiting for ousted president, Hosni Mubarak and his aids to face prosecution. In a bid to continue their support of the people’s will and push for faster changes, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) participated in the protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on July 8th. Emphasizing the need for unity in the political arena, the Muslim Brotherhood has yet again stood up for social justice and the removal of corruption.
In response to the deferred trial of former-president Mubarak and members of his corrupt regime, a large number of protesters gathered in front of the International Sharm El-Sheikh Hospital, where Hosni Mubarak is currently under arrest while seeking medical treatment, while demonstrations take place throughout the country.
Outraged that despite being referred to a criminal court facing charges of ordering the killing of peaceful protestors during the January 25th Revolution, and his alleged involvement in firearms deals, protestors state Mubarak should not be held in the coastal resort, and his trial should be made public.
Dr. Essam el Erian, deputy chairman of the FJP, has stated that civil rights violations by the former regime’s police force will not be tolerated after the revolution. The FJP wants to establish democracy in Egypt where both citizens and the police respect each other.
Protestors and police confronted many times in Suez – located at the southern tip of the Suez canal – during the January 2011 revolution that ousted Mubarak. Angered that courts have refused to add more policemen to the case in Suez, and dismayed at the absence of fair trials, protestors are opting for a sit-in until they get retribution police-released.
Until now, despite numerous court cases of the deaths of about 846 civilians during the January Revolution, only one policeman has so far been convicted and he has been tried in absentia police-released. And with Mubarak and his two sons also facing charges of killing protesters and amassing illegal wealth, protestors are determined not to let them slip away without accountability.
A number of protestors face intimidation from police officers accused of killing civilians during the uprisings, as courts have allowed many to continue working or granting them bail. In the spirit of the former corrupt regime, protestors and minor offenders are most often referred to military tribunals police-released, receiving quick and harsh rulings.
Sit-ins in Tahrir Square are in response to the people’s demands to have swift public trials for all those responsible for the killing of protesters during the revolution, to grant Prime Minister Essam Sharaf real powers to govern the country, to sack the interior minister and appoint a civilian in his place and to stop civilians being referred to military trials. Still under discussion is another demand; to suspend all police officers who are implicated in violence against protesters and torture cases until full investigations and trials take place.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the need to reform the security forces, stating that an interim code of conduct for policing demonstrations and order should be established as well as a thorough investigation into any improper use of firearms and riot control weapons during protests. This statement was prompted by incidents reported to HRW concerning incidents between police and protestors during clashes on June 28-29, which include beatings, teargas canisters fired at close range, bullet wounds, stone hurling, and prodding with electric devices.
Supporting the protests in Tahrir Square in ‘Persistence Friday’, the MB seeks to preserve Egyptian unity, without which the revolution will not succeed. The Brotherhood has consistently called for Egypt’s wellbeing and although it seeks faster changes and justice for the criminals of the former regime, it does not call for the dismissal of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.