2011 Youth Revolution of

Egypt
Background
Information
 Why all the media attention ?

•80m population
•Border with Israel
•Suez Canal
•Largest Arab nation
and most influential
 State of Emergency Law
• Constitutional provision for emergencies such as war
• Been in continuous application since 1981, when
Mubarak assumed power
• Prohibits demonstrations, censors newspapers, monitors
personal communications, detains indefinitely without
charge
• Human Rights Watch reported in 2008 ~ 5,000 detainees
without charge, some longer than 10 yrs
• Permits executive to refer civilians to military tribunal
courts. Used in 2006 when civilian courts dismissed
charges against 16 Muslim Brotherhood members.
• April 6-7, 2008 used to crush strike of textile workers in
Nile Delta city, al-Mahalla al-Kubra.
 Torture
Human Rights Watch found that law
enforcement officers routinely and
deliberately use torture and ill-treatment - in
ordinary criminal cases as well as with
political dissidents and security detainees -
to coerce confessions, extract other
information, or simply to punish detainees
 Anti-Torture Laws Inadequate
Egyptian law provides only for sentences
ranging from three to five years - penalties
not commensurate with the seriousness of
the crime of torture. The penal code further
gives judges discretion to exercise clemency
and reduce sentences, which they frequently
do
 US Govt Aware
US Ambassador in Cairo, Jan 15, 2009 Secret
Cable Published Through Wikileaks

Police brutality in Egypt against common criminals

is routine and pervasive. Contacts describe the
police using force to extract confessions from
criminals as a daily event, resulting from poor
training and understaffing. … NGO contacts
estimate there are literally hundreds of torture
incidents every day in Cairo police stations alone.
 Economic Corruption
• Mubarak accelerated process of privatization of
state-owned corporations
• Govt sold its assets to Mubarak’s family members
and allies for fraction of their worth
• Those cronies sold them to investors at true
value, thus gaining tremendous wealth
• Production facilities closed to give cronies
opportunity to import
• Cronies acquired monopolies in certain
commodities, another great source of wealth
 Parliamentary Elections
• Difficult to form new party
• One-party system with rigged elections
• In 2005, opposition won 1/5th of seats and govt
canceled elections in districts scheduled later in
year
• In 2010, opposition won less than 2% of seats
• 3 million expatriates not allowed to vote
• Parliament is tool of Executive, since Mubarak is
the head of the National Democratic Party
 Presidential Election Process
Illegitimate
Each independent candidate needs to
collect 250 endorsing signatures from
members of the People’s Assembly (lower
house of the parliament), the Shura Council
(upper house of the parliament), and
municipal councils. Currently, the ruling
National Democratic Party dominates all of
them by greater than 90 percent majorities.
 Presidential Election Process
Illegitimate
• No judicial supervision of the presidential
election
• Presidential electoral commission
composed of five judges and five public
figures appointed by the NDP-controlled
parliament
• No lifting of State of Emergency
• NDP monopoly on state-controlled media
 The Motives

 Political
 Lack of democracy (president, government, political
parties & parliament not representing the people)
 Political suppression , torture
 Corruption on all levels
 Economic
 Poverty Increase & widened gap between the rich &
the poor
 Unemployment rate increase
 Inflation
 Other
 Educational deterioration
 The Demands
 Immediate resignation of President Mubarak and
his government (the first and most important)

 Formation of a temporary people government

that does not involve the National Democratic
Party followed by transparent elections

 Termination of the emergency law & immediate

release of detainees & demonstrators

 To question & hold accountable the responsible

 Freedom of expression and rights

 Facts & Info

 This movement was started by Egyptian youth.

Ordinary people of all social classes, men and
women, participate. No party, organization or leader
can take credit for it.
 There is solidarity between Muslims and Christians in
the streets.
 Demonstrations were peaceful. However, the police
attacked demonstrators and destroyed property in
order to legitimate tightening control.
 Mubarak’s Speech Friday 1/28
For first time since assumption of power in
1981, Mubarak appointed a vice-president.
He appointed a new prime minister. Only 5
of the 24 members of the cabinet were
dismissed and replaced.
 Mubarak’s Speech Tues 2/1
Mubarak declared that he had not intended
to seek reelection in September. He did not
rule this out, nor did he rule out his son’s
nomination. He did not change the cabinet,
dissolve the parliament resulting from the
recent fraudulent elections, did not lift the
State of Emergency and did not discuss
constitutional reforms. Nobody trusts his
words and promises.
 Political Vacuum?
• Deliberate strategy by Mubarak, who never
appointed a VP and planned to transfer
power to son Gamal
• Political parties handcuffed
• Society of Muslim Brothers banned
• Any independent gaining prominence would
be removed from public office, undermined
in his projects and discredited.
 There Will not Be a Political
Vacuum
• Youth who began uprising can form a
national unity government with participation
of leaders of existing opposition
movements, parties, independents and
technocrats
• Political personalities such as Ayman Nour,
Amr Moussa, Muhammad elBaradei and
many others exist to participate in
transitional government
 Muslim Brotherhood
• Began in 1940s as social reform and anti-colonialist
organization
• After 1960s purges and repression, ended its secret
organization and renounced violence in achieving its
political aspirations
• In recent years, members have participated in
parliamentary elections as independents
• Member of recently formed opposition coalition which
seeks to negotiate with Egyptian government
• Neither marginal nor dominant, est 20-30%
• US should not consider a threat
25 Jan – Cairo
Tahrir Square in Cairo
25 Jan - Cairo
Protests
Protests
Christians and Muslims
 26 Jan – Cairo
Police violence started
More Violence
More Violence
 26 Jan – Cairo
Fires set by police forces
 26 Jan – Cairo
Famous Journalist arrested
& many others
26 Jan - Cairo
 27 Jan – Suez
Tear Gas bombs
 This is how Mubarak used the $2 billion
financial aid from the US - Against his own
people
$1.3 billion for military equipment and the rest for economic assistance
 27 Jan Evening
EGYPT ISOLATED
 28 Jan
Demonstrators welcoming the army
 28 Jan
Day of Rage
 Criminals set free to terrorize
people

 Police withdrew from

streets

 Chaos & robbery

incidents by criminals
released by the ministry
of interior
More Chaos & robbery
incidents
Neighborhood watch groups protect Cairo streets
Neighborhood watch groups protect Cairo streets
Neighborhood watch groups protect Cairo streets
 The Current Status

 Curfew from 5 pm to 8 am everyday, not

respected by the demonstrators.
 Banks are closed, people are running out
of cash
 Many grocery stores are closed and those
open have very limited supplies.
 Millions of demonstrators are in the streets
now and in every part of Egypt not just
Cairo.
 References

References for materials in this presentation

are available at:

http://scr.bi/AugustaEgypt