"Hundreds of Egyptians attacked a courtroom in Cairo on yesterday, scuffled with security guards, and blocked a highway for hours after the court ordered the release of 10 police officers charged with killing protesters during the country’s uprising.
The unrest added to tensions already running high in Egypt over the ruling military council’s failure to hold accountable security forces involved in killing protesters during the uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak.
Related: More of the Same in Egypt
Yeah, then they would have to hold themselves accountable.
Nearly five months later, only one officer has been convicted in the deaths of more than 846 people killed in a government crackdown on protesters.
In yesterday’s court proceedings, the judge seemed to suggest, in his initial statement, that he would impose harsh sentences. However, he then ordered the release of the defendants, setting off a riot.
--more--"
"An Egyptian court acquitted three Mubarak-era Cabinet ministers of corruption yesterday, the first verdicts in favor of ousted regime figures since the president was forced from power in February.
The verdicts followed days of rioting and protests by Egyptians furious over the procedures and the slow pace of justice for police who killed some 800 demonstrators during the 18-day uprising, and for former regime officials who ordered the violent crackdown.
And, really, WHO CAN BLAME THEM?
Although a fourth Cabinet minister was convicted in absentia, critics said the verdicts underscored the reluctance of the ruling military council to mete out justice to former regime officials for corruption and human rights abuses during Hosni Mubarak’s nearly three decades in power.
Meaning there is no justice.
Many lawyers defended the judiciary, saying the decision shows that it is professional and not driven by popular rage. Instead, they blamed the government. They said the speedy referral of many cases to trial, with little time for investigation, makes it hard to obtain convictions.
That is just going to create more rage.
But both sides agree that public anger will only grow as a result of the verdicts. There is concern about the spread of vigilante justice, which could further complicate the already tense transition period. The verdicts came a day after hundreds of protesters stormed a Cairo courtroom over a decision to release on bail seven police officers charged with killing 17 protesters during the uprising.
“This acquittal doesn’t bode well for our case,’’ said Osama Abou el-Matti, 50, whose brother was killed during the uprising. “How will I get retribution? If not through the courts, I will take it with my own hands.’’
A people's court!
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"Delays in trials fan riots in Egypt; Protesters seek justice in deaths during crackdown" by Maggie Michael, Associated Press / July 7, 2011
CAIRO - Hundreds of Egyptian protesters lobbed rocks at the security headquarters and set fire to police cars for a second day yesterday in a flashpoint city as growing impatience over delays in trying former regime officials and police accused of killing protesters threatened to plunge the nation back into crisis.
Who was it that said "those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable?"
Oh, a very wise man.
In a bid to defuse rising anger, the Interior Ministry announced that hundreds of high-ranking police officers will be sacked for their role in the harsh crackdown on antigovernment protests earlier this year that left nearly 850 people dead. Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawi said that it will be the largest shake-up in the history of his ministry.
Justice for those who killed demonstrators has become a rallying point for the protest movement....
The two days of rioting in Suez, a city at the southern tip of the Suez Canal that saw some of the most dramatic confrontations between police and protesters, was prompted by Monday’s release of seven police officers charged with killing demonstrators. Prosecutor-General Mahmoud Abdel-Meguid had promised to appeal the court order and return the officers to jail in a bid to appease the protesters.
Yeah, those unreasonable people.
But another court upheld the decision yesterday, prompting protesters to return to the streets....
Protesters also are angry over Tuesday’s decision to acquit three former government ministers over corruption allegations....
Wouldn't you be?
The rising frustration also was likely to fuel massive protests planned for tomorrow to demand justice for those killed as well as measures to purge former regime officials. Egypt’s interim government urged protesters to remain peaceful. It also pledged to continue purging Egypt of the remnants of Mubarak’s regime....
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"Mubarak officials face charges; Accused in Feb. camel attack on protesters" July 08, 2011|Associated Press
CAIRO - An Egyptian prosecutor charged 25 Mubarak officials with manslaughter, attempted murder, and assault yesterday for their part in organizing a February attack on antiregime protesters in which assailants on horses and camels charged into crowds, Egypt’s official news agency reported....
The Middle East News Agency gave no date for the start of the trial....
The initial attack sent protesters at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt’s revolution, running away from the assailants, who were armed with whips and swords. However, many protesters later found the courage to pounce on the attackers, wrestling them down to the ground before beating them.
Feb. 2 was among the most violent days of the uprising, with protesters and Mubarak loyalists fighting it out at Tahrir Square and adjacent streets with rocks, firebombs, and slabs of concrete. The fighting lasted the whole day and well into the night....
Mubarak, 83, is scheduled to face trial next month for ordering the use of deadly force against the protesters. More than 800 protesters are believed to have been killed in the uprising.
News of the charges came before massive protests planned for today to demand justice for the revolution’s victims as well as measures to purge former regime officials from political and economic life. The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s most organized political movement, has said it will join the prodemocracy demonstrators at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the revolution, for the so-called “Friday of Accountability.’’
I don't really trust the Brotherhood, but the more the merrier.
Justice for those who killed demonstrators has become a rallying point for the protest movement....
Protest movement means REVOLUTION!
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"Egyptians return to Tahrir Square; Set up tents as frustration grows over lack of trials" July 09, 2011|By Leila Fadel, Washington Post
CAIRO - Tens of thousands of Egyptians gathered yesterday in Tahrir Square, the symbol of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak this year, to protest what they perceive as an unwillingness to prosecute Mubarak-era officials and police responsible for the killing of nearly 900 protesters.
The demonstration, dubbed the “Friday of determination,’’ was the largest since the revolt in January and February that changed Egypt and inspired other Arab countries to rise up against their autocratic leaders. Egyptians in the square said they had no plans to leave.
Tents were erected and stages were built for speakers, reminiscent of the winter when masses refused to leave central Cairo until Mubarak and his family left.
Demonstrations were peaceful, but the past two weeks have been tense, with many Egyptians voicing growing anger over what they consider the slow pace of change under the interim military government and the failure to bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes committed during the 18-day revolution and Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
So far, only one noncommissioned police officer from the Mubarak era has been convicted for the attacks this winter that killed hundreds of unarmed people. The officer was sentenced to death in absentia, and the penalty cannot be enforced. Meanwhile, more than 7,000 civilians have been convicted in military tribunals, prompting an outcry from human rights activists.
Cue the guitar!
Demonstrators have clashed violently with police multiple times in recent days as Mubarak-era ministers were acquitted on corruption charges and police officers in Suez who had been accused of killing protesters were released on bail.
In anticipation of yesterday’s protest, Egyptian authorities tried to calm the rage. Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawi promised to reshuffle the ministry that oversees the police and dismiss hundreds of police officers and generals linked to attacks during the uprising.
But many Egyptians said those measures are not enough, adding that they are determined to resurrect the revolution.
--more--"
"Protests seek ouster of Mubarak cohorts
CAIRO -- Egyptians set up protest camps in city squares across the country, vowing yesterday that they would not leave until Egypt's temporary military rulers purge the remnants of Hosni Mubarak's deposed regime. The demonstrators also demanded that those responsible for killing hundreds during the uprising that ousted Mubarak be brought to justice (Boston Globe July 10 2011)."
That printed brief was absent the web version.
There is a lesson for you in there, America.
"Egyptian army troops firing in the air clashed yesterday with protesters in the strategic city of Suez after crowds blocked a key highway to push for faster reform efforts, including investigations of alleged abuses during the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
The crackdown by military forces threatened to sharply escalate tensions in Suez, a city alongside the famous canal about 80 miles east of Cairo, which has been hit by days of unrest. In Cairo, meanwhile, protesters blocked access to the Egyptian capital’s largest government building and threatened to expand sit-ins to other sites.
The protesters want justice for the nearly 900 demonstrators killed by security forces and also seek a faster pace for trials of allegedly corrupt officials.
--more--"
"New strife roils Egypt’s interim leaders" by Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press / July 12, 2011
CAIRO - The head of Egypt’s security forces has defied orders by the prime minister to fire police officers accused of killing protesters during the nation’s popular uprising, in a dispute illustrating the strains of a government facing escalating public pressure to bring former regime figures to justice.
Egyptians have again taken to the streets, furious over the failure to cleanse the tainted police and over a leadership they complain is botching an already chaotic transition to democracy.
Protesters have camped out in main squares in Cairo, Suez, and other cities since Friday, demanding the resignation of the interior minister who heads the police, the purging of former regime loyalists from the civil service, and greater action to tackle economic woes....
Fueling the resentment in the streets is a deepening distrust of the ruling generals, whom activists accuse of a lack of transparency in directing the transition to democracy and of showing too much deference to Mubarak, allowing the 83-year-old former leader to remain in hospital at a Red Sea resort when he is under arrest and scheduled to stand trial next month.
The public is also growing impatient with high crime rates, unemployment and economic woes worsened by the post-revolution turmoil.
Yeah, it almost makes one nostalgic for the old guy, huh?
The crisis has eaten into the country’s already battered investment climate, with the benchmark stock index dropping almost 3 percent on yesterday on concerns of mounting unrest.
And those guys run the world.
The release on bail last week of seven police officers on trial for killing protesters in Suez sparked days of rioting in the canal city 60 miles east of Cairo.
--more--"
Next Day Update:
Evolution of Egypt's revolution visible in Tahrir Sq
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Yeah, "friend," right.
What didn't they want you to know, readers:
"Not Satisfied, Protesters Return to Tahrir Square" by Anthony Shadid, New York Times | July 12, 2011
**************
In a summer of discontent, thousands of protesters have returned to the square, and after midnight on Tuesday, as on many recent nights, they offered a rebuttal to the idea that a revolution is a moment.
It's a movement!
Egypt is a turbulent place these days, as is the Arab world it once led. Defiant, festive and messy scenes unfold at night in a square that is at once a place and an idea. Revolutions are about expectations, and everywhere in Egypt, it seems, expectations — about who should rule, how they should rule and who should decide the way they rule — have not been met.
“Sit-in! Sit-in!” young men shouted. “A sit-in until the regime is put on trial.”
Do you have something better to do, Americans?
Soon it will be an unemployed and homeless army we have!
“We have a feeling the regime is still there, somehow,” said Tarek Geddawy, 25, a musician, who returned to the square on Friday and has stayed since then. “They sacrificed the icons of the regime, but the cornerstone is still there.”
***************************
Even in its reincarnation, Tahrir Square has kept the ebullience of months past. Artists like Nour Ramadan painted Egyptian flags on tired faces, charging a dollar or so. Musicians like Cairokee took the stage, giving way at 1 a.m. to impromptu poetry, oud recitals, children’s a cappella songs and Arabic rap that denounced American and Israeli policies in the same riff with calls for speedier trials of Mr. Mubarak and his men.
How come we never get to here that stuff over here?
It's all garbage love songs, drugged-out medal dopes, country conformists, and dance discho.
But a unity of purpose has given way to a multiplicity of demands, mirroring the divides that trouble Egypt’s political life these days. Debates rage over the timing of elections, the power of Islamists, the weakness of civilian rulers and the lack of accountability of their military counterparts, who suggested on Tuesday, in a seeming concession to protesters, that they would help protect civil liberties in the drafting of a new constitution....
Right, the exact authorities who have continued to arrest, jail, and torture protesters before and after the revolt is going to safeguard your liberty.
That is like saying this AmeriKan government is really looking out for you by threatening Social Security (Democrats should be ASHAMED of their president) if you don't borrow more from the bankers as the WARS ROLL ON!!!!
Yeah, it is NEVER the WARS that get SHUT DOWN -- or the DEBT INTEREST PAYMENTS to "investors."
But I stray from the sands of Egypt, dear readers.
“The revolution has informed people of the meaning of politics,” said Abdel-Aziz Moussa, a 25-year-old dentist. “We all know when we’re being played now.”
(Blog editor simply smiles and nods)
In that, he captured a microcosm of the square today that stands as perhaps the revolution’s most remarkable legacy.
Long after the morning call to prayer on Tuesday, as streetlights switched off and clouds moved over the square, a couple in gown and tie joined protesters to celebrate their wedding. Nour Ramadan painted their faces, this time without charge....
Yeah, the protester wasn't profiteering this time.
Readers, I've about had it with the subtle, Muslim-hating insults given the rampant war profiteering here in fascist AmeriKa.
What the printed Globe clipped:
For so long, Arab leaders endured despite their relentless repression, colossal mismanagement or subservience to the West, because they managed to depoliticize their populations, often by force.
Our allies, but that kind of stuff still only raises hackles in my paper when it is a targeted enemy.
But today, everyone in the square seemed to talk politics, with skepticism and critique.
“We changed, and they didn’t,” Ayman Abu Zeid, a 25-year-old doctor, said of the old government. He slept under tanks parked in Tahrir Square in February, blocking their way in case they tried to assault the protesters, and now he is in the square again. “Nobody is going to go back home,” he added. “No one.”
As a phrase, “the Arab spring” may never have captured what has unfolded this year. Libya is a civil war, Syria depressingly bloody. Bahrain was manipulated into a sectarian formula, and Yemen wrestled with the remarkable obstinacy of its leader. But it does suggest what the events meant for politics in nearly all those places, rejuvenating societies.
Well, at least you know the NYT's take on the it all.
Under a large tent in the square, a collection of lean-tos bear the names of, by one activist’s count, 42 different groups. There is the Tomorrow Party, Youth of Tahrir Square, the Egyptian Socialist Party, the Alliance of Revolutionary Forces, the Party of the Democratic Front and, somewhat poetically, the Movement of the Beginning.
At 4 a.m., debates raged over a white loudspeaker: should protesters besiege the Mugamma, a behemoth of Egyptian bureaucracy in the square, or march on a building housing the cabinet? Youths warned one another of American and Saudi intentions to undermine the revolution.
Those Egyptian kids are SO SMART!
At dawn, Julia Milad, 33, a real estate agent, ambled past tents strewn with trash. The square has become as untidy as the politics, and in an arena filled with uncertain intentions — of the military, of a feared shadow state, of the Muslim Brotherhood....
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"Egypt’s military toughens stance; Leaders call on citizens to rebuff protesters" by Leila Fadel and Sulafeh Munzir el-Shami, Washington Post / July 13, 2011
Web did the WaPo/NYT switcheroo on you.
CAIRO - Egypt’s military leaders went on the defensive yesterday, saying that they would not allow the disruption of public life or the “hijacking’’ of their authority as they called on Egyptians to disavow protests that disturb daily routines....
Such charged words from the regime.
Protesters received the statement with derision, reflecting the deepening divide between the military generals who took control of the country during the uprising last winter and the Egyptians who are growing frustrated with a slumping economy, rising unemployment, and the slow pace of trials for Mubarak-era officials and police officers accused of corruption and brutality.
“From the square, from the square, we reject this statement,’’ people chanted as thousands made their way to the Cabinet building to call for Sharaf’s immediate resignation.
“The country is sitting on a barrel of gunpowder,’’ said Hossam El-Hamalawy, an activist and influential blogger. “The point of confrontation is getting closer and closer.’’
Since protests were revived Friday, the Egyptian leaders have showered the nation with statements and pledges of reform....
A pee-pee shower.
Many Egyptians say those steps are not enough....
They say, the judicial and security apparatuses, which form the backbone of his government, are unchanged. The council’s response yesterday showed that the military is resorting to the Mubarak-era tactic of painting protesters as security threats, protesters said....
Hundreds of Egyptians are sleeping in Tahrir Square each night in tents erected on the grassy knoll of a traffic circle.
The term just caught my eye for obvious reasons.
Lilian Wagdy, an activist and blogger in the square, said that if the military does not respond to the demands for quicker trials, an end to hasty military tribunals that have convicted 7,000 civilians and justice for police officers involved in killing nearly 900 protesters, demands will soon follow for the council’s ouster.
“If they’re not met, we’re going to take it to the next level and ask the military to go back to their barracks,’’ she said.
At a tense afternoon news conference, military leaders said they would consider “legitimate’’ demands and protect freedom of expression and free assembly, but not at the expense of public order.
“Freedom without responsibility is chaos,’’ Major General Mahmoud Hijazi said.
Name me a responsible government.
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