Why all the media attention ?

• 80m population
• Border with Israel
• Suez Canal
• Largest Arab nation
and most influential
 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 is by the Egyptian youth and ordinary

people. No party and no organization or leader can take
credit for it.
 There is solidarity between Muslims and Christians in the
streets.
 Our question now is not who comes next as a president.
 Demonstrations were peaceful. However, the police
destroyed property in order to legitimate tightening
control.
 Background: 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 prevent strike of textile workers in Nile
Delta city, al-Mahalla al-Kubra.
 Background: Torture
• “We are now uncovering evidence of Egypt being a
destination of choice for third-party or contracted
out torture in the 'war on terror.‘” Kate Allen, UK
Director of Amnesty International, April 11, 2007
article
• 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
 Background: Disappearance
• Detaining an individual followed by a denial or
refusal to acknowledge the detention, so that
the person is deprived the protection of law,
constitutes an enforced disappearance that,
like torture, is a serious crime under
international law.
 Background: Impunity
• "In a country where torture remains a serious
and systemic problem, the conviction of a
mere seven police officers over four years
reflects a huge disconnect from reality and
leaves hundreds of victims and families
without justice," Joe Stork, Human Rights
Watch
 Background: Anti-Torture Laws
Inadequate
The definition of torture in article 126 of the
penal code excludes acts of torture for reasons
other than the extraction of a confession, such as
punishment or intimidation. 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
 Background: Witness Intimidation
• “Victims and families of victims who had made
complaints of torture consistently told Human
Rights Watch that police officials tried to
intimidate them to withdraw their complaint
or to settle out of court.”
Background: Corrupt Investigations
• Police unit accused of ill-treatment is involved in
gathering evidence and summoning witnesses during
the prosecutor's preliminary investigation.
• Prosecutors do not properly assess the evidence that
police produce or the quality of their investigation.
• Police delay examination by forensic doctor until
physical evidence fades, despite prosecutor orders
 Background: Emad el-Kebir
• Emad el-Kebir in January 2006 got involved in
a dispute between his cousin and the police.
Officers filmed themselves sodomized him
with a cane and verbally abusing him and
distributed the videos to his colleagues to
humiliate him and intimidate them.
 Background: 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.
 Background: 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
 Presidential Election Fraudulent
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 Fraudulent
Furthermore, the amendment did not provide
for full judicial supervision of the presidential
election but rather stipulated the formation of a
presidential electoral commission composed of
five judges and five public figures appointed by
the NDP-controlled parliament.
 Presidential Election Fraudulent
• 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
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.
 The government’s reaction
• Mubarak dismissed the cabinet and assigned a deputy president, both
actions not satisfactory to Egyptians

• Prime Minster Omar Suleiman is not accepted by Egyptians and is an

extension of the military ruling party.

• The rest of the “new” chosen government are basically the same old
cabinet switching roles.
 What Do we need from you

 To understand why Egyptians are demonstrating

 Help others to understand it too --- share info and

spread awareness

 Solidarity with Egypt & its people in their strike for

freedom

 Lobbying:
 At your governments level
 At your media level
 At human organizations
 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.
 Political Vacuum?
• Youth who began uprising can form a national
unity government with participation of leaders
of existing opposition movements, parties,
independents and technocrats
• Ayman Nour
• Amr Moussa
• Muhammad elBaradei
• Others
 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