- EGYPT
- November 14, 2013
- 5 minutes read
Egypt Pro-Democracy Alliance Calls ‘No Retaliatory Justice’ Million-Man March Friday
After the January 25, 2011 Revolution, the head of the corrupt regime was toppled, and Egyptians looked forward to a new era, living in freedom, dignity and social justice. Unfortunately, however, the so-called deep state remained in near full control of state institutions.
Regrettably, one of these institutions is the judiciary. Whereas there are honorable judges still committed to the principles and practice of true justice, there are many who plainly serve the corrupt regime and endeavor to reinstate its autocracy in Egypt. Those are complicit in the crimes of the corrupt and the murderers.
It is most painful, in revolutionary Egypt, to witness some members of Egyptian judiciary unfortunately play a reprehensible role in this shameful scene. They adopt a most deplorable disgraceful attitude that taints the judiciary’s traditionally spotless image.
Even the least observant onlooker cannot fail to notice that certain elements of Egyptian judiciary are subservient to coup authorities, applying what can be described as selective or ‘vengeful’ justice. Examples are so numerous, too many to count. However, we highlight below some crass examples of that.
Itehadia (Presidential Palace) case: This is a judicial farce by all standards. In addition to the invalidity of this trial to start with – for violating the explicit text of the Constitution, it also is tragi-comic paradox, focusing on the death of two particular men, while completely overlooking eight others who were killed in the same incident, simply because they belong to the Muslim Brotherhood! What justice is this? What judiciary accepts that?
In another tragic judicial act, the entire Egyptian society was shocked and dismayed to see Al-Azhar University students sentenced to prison terms of seventeen years for allegedly trying to break into their own university. Meanwhile, those who kill or torture people or threaten the public with deadly weapons are not brought to trial. If those real criminals are ever brought to justice, they enjoy farcical show trials guaranteed to acquit them in the absurd festival of innocence for all criminals – and fabricated charges for the innocent and honorable – that we witness today.
It also is most painful to the hearts and souls of Egyptians, and most absurd in our society with its chivalrous traditions, that those same dubious elements of the judiciary are evidently involved in the coup’s onslaught against Egyptian women, young girls and students. They order their detention, in so-called precautionary custody, pending preposterous trials on clearly trumped up charges. Then, they extend these girls’ custody periods in prison again and again. What shameful justices are these?
One of these judicial farces against Egyptian women relates to the continued incarceration of media professional Amani Kamal. She was arrested in an army check point, during a curfew when soldiers found in her car pictures of President Morsi and Rabaa anti-coup defiance signs. Meanwhile, the same justices cleared an actress arrested, also during the curfew, drunk in the company of three foreign men who then insulted the soldiers and officers with impunity.
Then, they have the temerity to talk about the scales of justice! Under the coup, one of those scales is high in the sky and the other stuck in a muddy ditch.
The Anti-Coup Pro-Legitimacy National Alliance, therefore, calls on the masses of honorable Egyptian people to turn out on Friday, November 15 in a huge "No Retaliatory Justice" million-man march – in the hope of stopping the total destruction of Egyptian justice. We must remind those justices that the sanctity of their profession is much higher than appeasing political regimes, no matter how brutal their repression and tyranny are, and that justice will last long after the coup is ended.
We call upon the great people of Egypt to participate positively in this Friday’s rally. The reputation of Egypt’s justice and judiciary is at stake.
The Anti-Coup Pro-Legitimacy National Alliance
Cairo: November 14, 2013