An Egyptian Journo's Journal

Saleh hands over power to Yemen's new president

2012-02-27T18:23:00.002+02:00

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Sana'a (dpa) - Yemen inaugurated Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi as president on Monday, officially ending Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year reign.

   "I now hand over the flag of the revolution, the republic, freedom, security to safe hands," said Saleh as he handed the Yemeni flag to Hadi in a symbolic gesture during the ceremony.

   Hadi was sworn into office on Saturday, after he received 99.8 per cent of the vote in last week's presidential election, in which he was the sole candidate.

   "We are laying a new base for a peaceful transfer of power in Yemen," said Hadi during the ceremony in the presidential complex in the capital Sana'a.

    The biggest challenge facing Hadi will be to re-establish security.

   Militant groups with possible links to al-Qaeda are believed to have extended control of areas in southern Yemen, taking advantage of a weak central government and a year of protests against Saleh.

   Violence has gripped Yemen since January 2011, when thousands of people, inspired by the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, took to the streets to demand Saleh's ouster.

   Hadi, who served as Saleh’s deputy for some 17 years, said that Yemen now faced a complicated and difficult path, and called on all parties to cooperate with the new leadership.

   According to the Gulf-brokered power transfer deal, which Saleh signed in November, Hadi and a national unity government will lead the country for two years.

   "I hope we will gather again in this hall to say farewell to an old leadership and welcome a new one," Hadi said, standing next to Saleh.

   Around 30,000 people took to the streets in Sana'a and the southwestern city of Ibb to protest against Saleh's presence at the ceremony.

   Saleh on Friday returned from the United States where he received medical treatment.

   "We will continue to support the president to rebuild what the crisis has destroyed," said Saleh, who retains his post as the head of his General People's Congress party. "We call on all fellow countrymen to stand beside the political leadership."

   The opposition Joint Meeting Parties coalition boycotted the ceremony because of Saleh's presence.

   Saleh had agreed to relinquish power to Hadi in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Syria pursues military crackdown, holds referendum

2012-02-27T18:22:00.002+02:00

Authors: Nehal El-Sherif, Ramadan Al-Fatash
26.02.2012

   Damascus/Cairo (dpa) - Syria held a referendum on a new constitution on Sunday as government forces shelled restive areas and clashed with rebel fighters seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

   The opposition boycotted the vote, saying it was "stained with blood" and dismissed as a sham claims that the new constitution opens the door for political pluralism.

   Al-Assad and his wife Asma cast their votes in a polling station inside the heavily secured Syrian state television building in Damascus, near the presidential palace.

   People went to polling stations in central Damascus, though turnout was remarkably low in suburban districts of the capital like Barzeh, where anti-government sentiment runs high.

   "I came and voted in favour of the new constitution, as this vote will contribute to a better future for Syria, and bring back security and stability to my family," said Huda Abu-Saleh, a school teacher in Damascus.

   A voter in the Qudssaya district north-west of Damascus who identified himself as Mohammed said: "It does not represent me, and I think it does not represent millions of Syrians who want to move toward a brighter and democratic future."

   The vote was held as the Syrian army pressed on with a military offensive in restive areas, killing at least 34 people, activists said.

   The opposition Local Coordination Committees said most of the deaths occurred in the central city of Homs, which has been besieged and shelled by government forces since February 3.

   Activists also reported clashes between rebel fighters and government troops in Homs and in the southern city of Daraa, near the border with Jordan.

   The Syrian crisis is approaching one year with no end in sight.

   Videos posted online showed Syrians in Homs and the rebel stronghold northern city of Idlib mocking the vote by setting up their own polling stations.

   People were also seen throwing mock ballot papers in rubbish bins.

   "On this day, we enter a new democratic phase, and Syria becomes much stronger than before," Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told reporters after he cast his vote at the ministry's headquarters in Damascus.

   The government on Sunday sent text messages to mobile phones urging Syrians to take part in "Marches of loyalty" to al-Assad's regime.

   More than 14,000 polling stations opened nationwide for about 15 million eligible voters, the Interior Ministry said.

   The new constitution allows the establishment of political parties other than the governing Baath, which has been ruling Syria since 1963.

   The opposition has said it would accept nothing less than al-Assad's resignation.

Violence mars Yemen's one-candidate presidential election

2012-02-21T19:34:00.000+02:00

By Adnan Al-Bureihy and Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Sana'a (dpa) - At least four people were killed in clashes in southern Yemen on Tuesday as voters flocked to polling stations in a presidential election aimed at ending the 33-year rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh.

   Security forces clashed with tribesmen who were trying to prevent people from voting and were attacking polling stations.

   Saleh's deputy, Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi, 67, is the sole candidate.

   The early election is the result of a deal, for the peaceful transfer of power, signed in November by Saleh, 69, and the opposition.

   After casting his ballot, Hadi told reporters that the election reflected the wisdom of Yemenis emerging from the year-long unrest, the state-run SABA news agency reported.

   The United Nations special envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar all concerned parties in the country to abide by the Gulf-brokered power transfer deal.

   “The international community and the United Nations Security Council would closely monitor this process,” he told a press conference in the capital Sana'a.

   In the southern port city of Aden, voters in al-Mansoura district could not reach a polling station as supporters of the separatist Southern Movement shuttered it and exchanged fire with security forces, a security source in Aden told dpa.

   Videos posted online by pro-democracy activists showed members of the separatist movement storming a polling station and setting ballot boxes on fire.

   Along with Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, in the north, the Southern Movement has for months called for the election to be boycotted.

   In the southern city of al-Makala, at least 16 people were injured in clashes between security forces and people opposed to the election.

   Hadi, who is from the south, has promised to hold a national dialogue with the separatists.

   Political analyst Ahmed al-Zarqa described the elections as a “play set up to satisfy Saleh's ego.”

   He added: “This scenario, which is neither an election nor a referendum, was made because Saleh wanted to leave power through the so-called constitutional legitimacy. The deal has turned the revolution into a mere political crisis.”

   The Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum said Tuesday that polling was halted in nine constituencies in several cities controlled by al-Qaeda-linked militants in the provinces of Dali, Lahj and Abyan.

   Information Minister Ali al-Amrani said the election was the start of a new path for Yemen and that the turnout was high, the state-run SABA news agency reported.

   Tawakkul Karman, the women's rights and democracy activist who was co-laureate of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, posted a picture of herself online after casting her ballot, showing her inked thumb.

   "Congratulations to Yemen, congratulations on the first stage of victory for the revolution. We will continue to win and achieve all our goals," Karman posted on Twitter.

   Voting was peaceful in the capital Sana'a, as voters queued in front of polling stations. Several groups that were active in the uprising against Saleh had called on people to vote in the election.

   Many were posing for photographs outside the booths, their fingers coloured with deep blue ink once their ballots were cast.

   "I am extremely happy to participate in this historic day in which I will free myself from the rule of Saleh for the first time in my life," said Abdullah al-Hammadi, 27, from Sana'a.

   "Now is the time for us to make trustworthy men responsible for the state affairs," he added.

   According to the deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council, Saleh agreed to relinquish power to Hadi in exchange for immunity from prosecution. The agreement followed months of violence as Saleh's regime cracked down on demonstrators calling for his ouster.

   Yemen has more than 10 million registered voters, in a population of 24.7 million, according to the latest census.

   Polling stations in 301 constituencies were scheduled to be closed at 6 pm (1500 GMT). However, the vote was extended for two hours in some stations that witnessed high turnout, the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum said.

PROFILE: Yemeni general set to become transitional president

2012-02-21T09:40:00.000+02:00

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - Abd Rabu Mansur Hadi acted as Yemen's vice president for more than 17 years but rarely appeared in public or spoke to the media.

   Hadi was not even seen as a major player in the Yemeni political scene.

   That changed when outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh was injured in a bombing on his presidential complex in June as part of the massive civil unrest in the impoverished country on the Arabian Peninsula.

   Saleh left for Saudi Arabia in June for medical treatment, and Hadi was designated acting president.

   After Saleh signed a UN-sponsored deal aimed at ending the unrest, Hadi was chosen unanimously in January by parliament to be the sole contender for the early presidential election.

   Violence has gripped Yemen since January 2011 when thousands took to the streets, inspired by the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, demanding the ouster of Saleh after 33 years in power.

   Under the Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered deal, Hadi would serve a two-year term as president if elected. Saleh only signed the deal in November after months of international pressure in return for immunity against prosecution.

   Hadi himself was born in the southern province of Abyan on May 1, 1945. He joined the army of South Yemen in 1970 and became a major general in the early 1990s. During his career, he travelled to Britain, Russia and Egypt to study military tactics.

   He held many senior posts within the southern army before the country's unification in May 1990. He later served as a defence minister before Saleh appointed him as his deputy in 1994 - a move that was seen as an attempt by Saleh to show Yemenis that there is a balance in power with a deputy from the southern part of the country.

   "By running for office, ... I hold out my hand to anyone who wants to remove the obstacles facing the country and to all Yemenis no matter what their belief, tribe or party," Hadi said in a recent televised speech.

   The biggest challenge facing Hadi would be to restore security in the country, especially as militants believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda have expanded their influence in the country over the past 12 months. He also faces demands from protesters and opposition to purge the country's security and military institutions of Saleh's relatives.

   In addition to those formidable challenges, Hadi also faces opposition from Shiite rebels known as the Houthis in northern Yemen as well as the Southern Movement, which calls for the separation of southern provinces from the republic.     He must deal with economic challenges as the United Nations said last year that the country is heading towards a "humanitarian disaster" amid increasing food insecurity.

   In his speech, Hadi asked for urgent foreign aid to help revive the country's shattered economy and called on the Group of 20 countries to hold a conference to help the country overcome its current economic crisis.

   Nobel laureate and prominent activist Tawakkol Karman called on the country's protesters to "accept Hadi as the transitional president and [Prime Minister Mohamed Salem] Basindwa as a transitional prime minister."

   "Most of what he said is promising and goes with the demands of the revolution, but we learned from the revolution not to judge leaders by what they say, but by what they do," she said.

   Hadi promised to launch a national dialogue once he takes office.

   The transitional period was expected to culminate in legislative and presidential elections within two years.

Graffiti in Egypt

2012-02-11T19:24:00.002+02:00

Some photos of Graffiti near Tahrir taken by نـــون on Flickr.

Cairo's street children are unlikely victims of protests

2012-02-05T11:51:00.000+02:00

Authors: Nehal El-Sherif and Laura Schmid

   Cairo (dpa) – Fourteen-year-old Mohamed fled his abusive family in the southern Egyptian city of Minya and moved to Cairo's Tahrir Square after last year's political revolution, hoping to find safety and work.

   “My father and brothers used to beat me so I left them and came to Tahrir," said Mohamed, whose head is bandaged after he sustained a stone wound during clashes last month between police and protesters.

   "I felt safe with the protesters and people were talking to me,” said Mohamed. He is one of thousands of homeless children, who beg and sell matches and chewing gums on the streets of Cairo. “When I was hit, somebody took me to the field hospital, and I got stitches.”

   Egyptian children's rights groups say Cairo's street children are being manipulated by thugs, who incite them to take part in, at times deadly, political protests, and are criminalized by government institutions, which fail to protect them and get them off the streets.

   At least two children were killed, 10 were wounded and 73 were detained in clashes in Cairo over one week alone in December, they say.

   “Instead of being treated as victims, who were sometimes recklessly manipulated by thugs to get involved in clashes, the kids are stigmatized as criminals," said Samah Hussein, who runs a shelter for street children in Cairo.

   "With neither parents nor a strong lobby to protect them, street children are exploited by society and governmental institutions,” she added.

   Hussein had hoped that the revolution that ousted President Hosny Mubarak in January would raise more awareness about the plight of street children in the capital, whose number the state-run National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) puts at 5,000.

   This figure has been challenged by local and international groups, who say the real number is in the tens of thousands.

   Egypt has been ruled by a military council since February 2011. The council has resisted calls by protesters that it hand over power to a civilian government, a position which three months ago sparked deadly clashes between police and activists.

   "Street kids are the weakest in society," said Somaya al-Alfy of the NCCM. "They are defenceless and that makes them an easy scapegoat for all sides: the military council, protesters and the media,” she added.

   The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says street children have been at the frontline of the protests since last year's uprising, when several minors were killed in clashes.

   Philippe Duamelle, a UNICEF representative, called on the government in a statement last month "to fully respect the rights of children,” adding that the number of children killed, injured and detained had reached "alarming levels.

   UNICEF child protection specialist Nadra Zaki said children detained during clashes were sent to adult prisons, which lack the resources to rehabilitate them.

   Zaki said: "These kids come from broken homes where they are deprived of love. When they go to Tahrir Square they feel important, - maybe for the first time in their lives."

Syrian opposition: 260 people killed in Homs massacre

2012-02-05T11:49:00.000+02:00

Authors: Nehal El-Sherif and Weedah Hamzah

   Beirut (dpa) - Syrian opposition activists said Saturday a massacre by government troops in the city of Homs, which has been at the centre of the unrest in the country for nearly a year, has killed 260 people.

   "The Syrian army is storming the city from various axes and the shelling that started overnight is still continuing," activist Ayman Idlibi, told dpa.

   "Houses are being targeted in the Khalidiyeh neighbourhood targeted by the shelling now and people are dying under the rubble of their homes," he said.

   The Khalidiyeh area has seen the heaviest of the shelling, which began on Friday afternoon.

   The Local Coordination Committees (LCC), a group of local activists who document protests, said that security forces and pro-government thugs had also stormed Khalidiyeh's al-Amal Hospital.

   More than 50 bodies and 100 wounded civilians were in the hospital and there were fears that those left inside would be killed or kidnapped, the LCC added.

   The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been overnight shelling, including the use of mortar shells and heavy machine guns, on several areas of the restive city. The London-based group said that blood supplies were short and donations were urgently needed.

   Reports inside Syria cannot be confirmed independently, as the Syrian government has banned most international media and rights groups from entering the country. Those allowed are mostly restricted to the capital Damascus.

   "This is a new massacre committed by the regime," activist Idlibi said, adding that the opposition was calling on its supporters to protest in front os Syrian embassies across the world.

   A crowd of Syrians attacked the Syrian embassy in Cairo in protest to the government's shelling of Homs. The observatory said they set fire to parts of the building.

   Around 30 protesters also forced their way into the Syrian embassy in Berlin on Friday. They destroyed pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and hung the flag of the opposition out of one of the windows.

   The Syrian National Council called on the international community to "speak up and do something to stop the bloodshed of innocent Syrians."

   The council, which is a group of opposition figures in exile, demanded that Russia change its position regarding a UN Security Council resolution on Syria. The council is expected to vote on a revised draft resolution on Saturday.

   Russia said Friday it would not agree to the draft, supported by European and Arab countries as well as the United States. The text had been watered-down due to Russian demands, and no longer includes several major points, including a call on al-Assad to step down.

   Russia is a major arms supplier to Syria and its main ally. It has a permanent seat on the council and can veto any resolution.

   According to UN estimates, over 5,400 people have been killed since the crackdown on protesters, who demand the ouster of al-Assad, began.

Egypt's tourism sector struggles to revive fortunes

2012-01-28T15:52:00.001+02:00

Authors: Laura Schmid, Nehal El-Sherif

   Hurghada, Egypt (dpa) - The beaches are almost empty and taxi drivers jockey for customers in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Hurghada, once a bustling city, now desperately struggling to revive its tourism sector a year after the country's political revolution.

   "No tourists simply means no money," said diving instructor Mohamed, standing under a palm tree on a stretch of golden sand by the sea, where he spends his time pursuing water sports hobbies.

   Tourism was a key pillar of Egypt's economy before the popular uprising that forced Hosny Mubarak to resign last year. It used to generate some 12.5 billion dollars in 2010. This figure fell by 30 per cent to 8.8 billion dollars in 2011.

   Tourism businesses, which have slashed prices to attract tourists, says the drop is much higher.

   "At the beginning of the winter season, the occupancy rate at our hotel was over 50 per cent," said Mohamed Eiweida, sales manager at a five-star resort in Hurghada. "At the moment, occupancy hardly stands at 15 per cent," he added, saying that images of deadly clashes in Cairo three months ago had scared off many tourists.

   Thousands of European holidaymakers used to visit resorts along the Red Sea in December and January, attracted by the sunshine and temperatures that reach as high as 25 degrees Celsius.

   The tourism industry says the government's figures are not accurate - they argue the drop is sharper than the 30 per cent estimated for 2011 - because any foreign national who stays in Egypt longer than 24 hours is counted as a tourist.

   This includes tens of thousands of Libyans who fled to Egypt to escape last year's civil war, as well as thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

   "What keeps the hotel alive are the Russian tourists," said Ibrahim Mazhar, who works as a public relations manager at a hotel. "They do not care about politics or clashes, as long as the prices are low. Europeans are more careful."

   European tourists, who make up the largest group of visitors to Egypt, fell by 35 per cent to 7.2 million last year, compared to 11.1 million in 2010, according to government figures.

   Tourism accounts for 11.3 per cent of Egypt's gross domestic product, and many of the country's 80 million inhabitants rely on the sector for a living.

   "With all this mayhem, Egypt attracted over 9 million tourists in 2011, which proves the country is still a top tourist destination," Tourism Minister Munir Fakhri Abdul Nur said recently.

   However, many are sceptical.

   Islamists won almost 70 per cent of the seats in Egypt's freest parliamentary elections and some parties, like the hardline Salafist Al-Nour, want to enforce gender-segregated beaches with restrictions on bikinis and alcohol. This could spell disaster for an industry that relies on European tourists.

   "It is our fourth visit to the Red Sea and we hope to return next year," said an English tourist. "But vacation under Islamic rules is not what we have in mind."

   There are also fears of violence between police and liberal and secular activists who have vowed to continue protesting until Egypt's military rulers hand over power to a civilian government.

   Ahmed Tomoum, an entrepreneur who owns a bar in Hurghada's posh New Marina area, says that he will be forced to shut down if business remains weak.

   "I recently began another project to export textile. If tourism does not pick up in the coming months, I will sell the bar and concentrate on my other project," he said.

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One year on, Egyptians pursue an unending revolution

2012-01-28T15:51:00.000+02:00

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) – Wearing a T-shirt with the words “The Revolution Continues,” Mohammed Ghanem stands in the middle of Tahrir Square with his friends to mark the first anniversary of the January 25 uprising that forced long-time president Hosny Mubarak out of power.

   “Down with the Military Rule,” Ghanem chanted, with a group of protesters, and “The Blood of the Martyrs Will Not Go in Vain."

   “One year has passed since the revolution. But have we achieved the demands we were pursuing? Not really,” Ghanem says, as he takes a break from the protest.

   Egypt recently held its first free elections in decades, in which Islamist parties made massive gains. The new parliament convened its first session just this week.

   "Yes, elections were a good step. Still, it is still too early to judge the parliament, which in itself is not enough," Ghanem told dpa.

   Ghanem is a business graduate who has been unable to find a permanent job since he graduated 18 months ago.

   “I am joining thousands of the people who want a decent living, and most importantly to feel they are dealt with respect in their country. If we cannot achieve the demands made during the revolution, then those who sacrificed their lives would not rest in peace,” he says, before rising to his feet to join the protest again.

   The protesters gathering in Tahrir on Wednesday were not happy at the slow pace of trials for former officials, including Mubarak, charged with killing hundreds of people during the revolt last year.

   A huge black banner showed photos of Mubarak, his ex-interior minister Habib al-Adli and Egypt’s military ruler, Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, with the noose around them. Tantawi was Mubarak’s defence minister for 20 years.

   The opposition criticizes the junta, which took charge of the country after Mubarak’s stepping down last February, for suspected involvement in the killing of around 90 people since the former president’s overthrow.

   “We need to fight for the freedom of the revolutionary army officers who are now detained for taking the side of the revolution,” a protester, himself as a former officer, said. “We need to save these heroes from punishment.”

   Around 20 army officers have joined protesters in Tahrir in several protests over 2011. They were reportedly sentenced to two-to-three years in prison by military courts.

   Their families say they are on a hunger strike to protest maltreatment inside the military prison.

   Thousands of protesters flocked to Tahrir from the early hours of Wednesday from different parts of Egypt, rallying to the call that the demands of the revolution have not been fully achieved.

   As the military and security forces stayed away from Tahrir, which has been the scene of fatal clashes with anti-military protesters in the past two months, groups of activists were positioned at the entrances to the square to search demonstrators for suspicious items including weapons and knives.

   The protesters gave short shrift to the military ruler’s decision to partially lift the country's 30-year-old emergency laws, starting Wednesday morning.

   In what was seen as a concession to appease protesters, Tantawi said in a televised address on Tuesday the state of emergency would be lifted except in cases of “thuggery.”

   “What does thuggery mean? They previously arrested many protesters on charges of thuggery,” said Amal Hassan, a mother of two, who brought along her children to take part in the rally.

   “I support the revolution because I want a better life for my children. But nothing has changed after Mubarak,” she said, as she adjusted her blue veil.

   “There are still a lot of Mubaraks we should be put on trial before we can celebrate the revolution," she added.

Egypt's post-Mubarak parliament convenes

2012-01-28T15:11:00.000+02:00

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa
23.01.2012

   Cairo (dpa) - Egypt's newly-elected parliament, in which Islamists hold two-third of the seats, held its inaugural session on Monday, two days before the first anniversary of the January 25 revolution that ousted president Hosny Mubarak.

   The composition of the parliament, which is seen as a first step towards democratic rule in the country, reflects the fact that Islamist parties have become the strongest political force in Egypt after years of suppression under Mubarak.

   The Freedom and Justice Party won the largest number of seats, with 47 per cent, followed by the hardline Salafist party Al-Nour.

   The prime task of the lower house of parliament, or the People's Assembly, will be to pick a committee tasked with drafting a new constitution.

   Saad al-Katatni of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party was elected as Parliament Speaker, with 399 votes.

   Essam Sultan, of the moderate Islamist al-Wasat Party, came second with just 87 votes.

   "We announce to the Egyptian people and the whole world that our revolution continues," al-Katatni told the assembly after he was elected.

   "We will not rest until there is retribution for the martyrs by fair, rapid trials and rebuild Egypt," he said.

   Al-Katani, a university professor and political pragmatist, was the Secretary-General for the Freedom and Justice Party. He promised to resign from his post in the party after becoming speaker.

   From 2005 to 2010, al-Katatni served as the head of the Brotherhood’s parliamentary bloc when brotherhood members, running as independents under Mubarak, won a fifth of parliamentary seats.

   The session took place as Mubarak's defence lawyers continued to expose their closing arguments in the trial, in which the ousted leader and other co-defendants are accused of involvement in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the January 25 revolution.

   The parliament's session was marred by heated disputes between its members. Arguments began as soon as some members refused to stick to the wording of the official oath.

   Mamdouh Ismail, member of the Salafist al-Asala Party, added "as long as it does not violate the law of God" while he was being sworn in. Another lawmaker vowed to fulfill the revolutionary demands and defend the “blood of the martyrs."

   A heated argument later erupted as some candidates wanted to give a short speech to introduce themselves ahead of the vote for the post of Parliament Speaker.

   Several members were wearing yellow scarves around their necks with the slogan "No to military trials for civilians," in a protest against the ruling military council, which has tried more than 12,000 people in military courts since Mubarak's ouster.

   Tight security was imposed around the parliament building, which is located near Tahrir Square, the epicentre of protests that forced Mubarak out of power.

   Thousands of protesters marched on the parliament building, demonstrating against the military trials of civilians and the military rulers.

   Others were calling for the release of all political prisoners, defending the creative freedoms and preserving the freedom of the press, film director and activist Khaled Youssef told dpa.

   They were chanting “Creativity, freedom and social justice," activists said.

   Elections for the 498-seat assembly began in November and ended in January. Military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi appointed 10 more members, raising the total to 508.

   Elections for the less powerful Shura Council, or upper house of parliament, are to be held in two stages, with voting taking place between January 29 and February 22.

   The military council will hand over power to a civil administration after presidential elections scheduled for June.

IMF: Libya could be driver of Mideast economy

2012-01-28T15:09:00.003+02:00

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) - Libya could drive economic activity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2012-13, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Tuesday, despite recent challenges to the country's political stability.

   Libya was not included in the IMF's September 2011 projections due to the uncertain political situation at the time.

   Excluding Libya, MENA growth projections for 2012 and 2013 are lower than the IMF predicted in September, the organization said Tuesday.

   However if Libya is included, economic activity in the region is expected to accelerate, driven by the country's recovery and the continued strong performance of other oil exporters.

   According to Daniel J Graeber, a senior analyst for Oil Price energy news site, "even the most pessimistic oil analysts are surprised at how fast Libyan oil production is back online."

   However, observers have said that damage to Libya's infrastructure could impede an increase in oil export capacity, while internal political rivalries are a challenge for the country's economic development.

   Libya has witnessed several protests and clashes since the fall of slain leader Moamer Gaddafi.

   On Monday, four people were killed when clashes erupted in the key oil town of Bani Walid, south-east of Tripoli.

   A day before that, dozens of Libyans stormed the ruling National Transitional Council's headquarters, in the eastern city of Benghazi, in protest at the perceived slow pace of reform.

   In December, OPEC's Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri said Libya's "strong comeback" would have a large impact on the oil market.

   On a regional level, the IMF said that most oil-importing countries, such as Egypt and Tunisia, faced muted growth prospects due to "longer-than-expected political transitions and an adverse external environment."

HRW urges West to get over fear of rising Islamists in Arab world

2012-01-28T15:09:00.000+02:00

Authors: Laura Schmid, Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) – The international community should overcome its fear of political Islam in the Middle East and instead embrace the preference of the majority, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Sunday.

   Ignoring the increasing popular Islamist parties in the region would violate democratic principles, the rights group said while launching its annual World Report 2012 in Cairo.

   After facing repression for years, Islamist parties have gained wide support in the aftermath of the uprisings that toppled long-time Arab leaders, especially in the North African countries of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

   "Coming to terms with Islamist parties does not mean rejecting human rights but nurturing the right-respecting elements of political Islam," said Kenneth Roth, HRW executive director.

   "Human Rights Watch encourages the Western leaders to pressure the newly emerging Islamist governments to respect basic human rights and stand firm against the repression of political freedoms, when needed," he added.

   Roth expressed overall satisfaction with the rhetoric of the Islamists in Egypt but said that their democratic intentions will be exposed through the way the Muslim Brotherhood governs the country.

   Egypt's Islamist parties, all licensed after the ouster of president Hosny Mubarak in February, have secured two-thirds of the newly elected parliament. Egypt's most influential group, the Muslim Brotherhood, won the largest number of seats with 47 per cent of the assembly.

   "We are foremost concerned about women's and minority rights in the region," said Heba Morayef, HRW researcher for Egypt, adding that the demand of Islamists to withdraw certain laws promoting women's rights is an "extremely worrying development."

   The New York-based group also urged Western leaders to "step away from their autocratic friends and side with reformers to build genuine democracies and extend human rights as well as the rule of law."

   Roth called on Europe and the United States to stop the "Arab exception" and become as outspoken against autocratic leaders who are politically attached to them as they had been in standing up to the repression in Libya and Syria.

   The group also criticized the "leading southern democracies of India, Brazil and South Africa" for backing Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi's regime, and called on them to support the Arab people's quest for democracy.

   Roth said a stronger position of these three countries at the United Nations Security Council against Syria could help to isolate China and Russia, whose leaders fear a spread of the protests and would force them to withdraw their veto. This would pave the way for more targeted sanctions and an arms embargo, he said.

   "Rights-respecting governments should support international justice regardless of political considerations," said Roth, pressing the international community to abandon its traditional policy of containment towards the Arab world.

ElBaradei pulls out of Egyptian presidential race

2012-01-28T15:07:00.000+02:00

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei withdrew Saturday from the presidency race, in protest at the country's military rule - in a move that is expected to further divide activists ahead of the revolution's first anniversary.

   The former head of the UN nuclear watchdog said he had made the decision because the ruling military council "chooses to continue along the old road, as if no revolution took place, and as if the regime has not fallen."

   "Instead of uniting the nation through an organized political process ... (the council) has taken all decisions alone in a way that reflects confusion, and exacerbated divisions in the society while we are in dire need of solidarity," ElBaradei said in a statement.

   While the army was credited for its support of the January 25 revolution, the ruling military council has since been criticized for using force against demonstrators and dragging its feet over reforms.

   "I reviewed the best ways to serve the goals of the revolution amid this reality, and I found no position within the official framework, including the post of the president ," Elbaradei said.

   Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in June.

   The 69-year-old Nobel laureate, has been one of the country's most influential figures, and his criticisms of Mubarak in 2010 were seen as a catalyst for the revolt that ousted the president last year.

   He received a hero's welcome at the airport when he returned to Egypt early 2010.

   "My decision is not a withdrawal from the scene, but a continuation to serve this country more effectively, away from power and free from all restrictions," he added.

   ElBaradei's decision comes just over 10 days before the first anniversary of the January 25 revolution.

   His announcement has highlighted the division between activists, where some support ElBaradei and his repeated calls to write a new constitution before the parliamentary elections, while others support the timeline set up by the military council in order to hand over power to a civilians administration.

   Ongoing parliamentary elections in Egypt have sparked concerns among Christians and liberals that a new legislature will likely have an Islamist bent, as supporters of conservative Muslim groups have scored well in the country's first elections after Mubarak's departure from politics.

   "I ask each presidential candidate to follow ElBaradei and back the revolution until it is complete," activist Nawara Negm said on her Twitter account.

   However, writer and activist Belal Fadl described ElBaradei's withdrawal from the presidential race as an "intelligent, wise decision" taken by a seasoned politician.

"If ElBaradei knew that his chances to win are huge, he would not have pulled out. This is not a revolutionary decision, it is the right political one," Fadl said.

   Former Arab League chief Amr Moussa and Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, a former senior figure in the influential Muslim Brotherhood group, are now the front-runners in the upcoming presidential elections.

Amnesty urges Saudi Arabia to investigate protester's death

2012-01-28T15:05:00.000+02:00

Author: Nehal El-Sherif
13.01.2012

   Cairo/Riyadh (dpa) - Amnesty International urged Saudi Arabian authorities on Friday to investigate the death of a Shiite protester in the eastern part of the kingdom after he was shot by security forces.

   The Saudi Ministry of Interior said that one person was killed late Thursday in clashes between security forces and members of the Shiite minority in the kingdom's eastern Qatif province.

   "While security forces were patrolling al-Awamiya village ... they were attacked by petrol bombs," ministry spokesman Mansur al-Turki said in a statement.

   The London-based rights group identified the protester killed as Issam Mohamed Ali Abu Abdullah, aged 22.

   “This is the latest of several disturbing protester deaths in Saudi Arabia in the last couple of months,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s interim Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

   “The need to immediately launch an independent investigation into the death of Issam Abu Abdullah is underlined by the fact that investigations that were announced into previous protester deaths in similar incidents do not appear to have gone anywhere,” he added.

   Amnesty International quoted sources as saying that riot police opened fire on the protesters, some of whom were also carrying firearms.

   The incident came as British Prime Minister David Cameron was in Riyadh for talks with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz and other officials to discuss trade and developments in the Middle East.

   Oil-rich Qatif province has been a central point for protests by the Shiite minority against the Sunni ruling family. The government usually refers to them as "rioters."

   Riyadh has repeatedly accused "foreign instigators," a reference to Tehran, of paying protesters to confront government security forces.

   In November, four people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in Qatif.

   Saudi authorities recently published a list of 23 suspects wanted on charges of carrying out a "foreign agenda" in Shiite districts in the east.

Also picked up here

Al-Assad claims popular support as 31 killed in Syria

2012-01-11T12:08:00.000+02:00

By Weedah Hamzah and Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

Beirut/Damascus (dpa) – President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday vowed to stay in power, and in a rambling speech that lasted more than one-and-a-half hours blamed Syria's 10-month unrest on "foreign conspiracies" and promised a referendum on a new constitution.

"I am not the one to run away from my responsibility," al-Assad said to resounding applause at Damascus University. "There is no value for any post without the popular support."

"We're fighting an unprecedented battle in the history of Syria, but victory is near," he said. "The priority is to retain order and we will (deal with) terrorists with an iron fist."

It was his fourth public address since the anti-government uprising began in March. The United Nations estimates that 5,000 people have since died in the government's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

On Tuesday, security forces killed 31 protesters, most of them in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, activists said.

Protests erupted in the central province of Homs as al-Assad was speaking, prompting his troops to fire at the demonstrators, Omar Homsi, a Syrian activist, told dpa by phone from the area.

"Death to the devil," Homsi quoted the protesters as chanting.

In demonstrations in other parts of the country people were heard chanting: "We want freedom."

Al-Assad denied giving orders to shoot at protesters.

"Some say that officials who committed murders were not arrested," he said. "This is not true. Security forces were not allowed to shoot at citizens, unless in certain cases such as self-defence or if the person was armed."

He also used the forum to repeat his claim that a "foreign conspiracy" was behind the unrest.

In an attempt to appease his domestic audience, the president assured them that a decree had been issued to establish a committee to draft a new constitution. He also promised to hold a national referendum in March on the new constitution.

"I have great confidence in the future and this all comes from the people's will and belief in the sovereignty of Syria," he said.

The speech was also his first after Damascus agreed in December to allow an Arab League observer mission in the country.

Al-Assad accused the 22-member organization of worsening the situation in the region, but said that he "will not close the door in front of any Arab initiative as long as it respects Syria's sovereignty."

About 165 Arab League monitors are in the country to determine whether Damascus is abiding by the plan to stop violence and pull weapons off the streets.

Several observers were injured in attacks Tuesday in the port city of Latakia and the eastern city Deir al-Zour, and their equipment was damaged.

The bloc's secretary general, Nabil al-Arabi, said: "The Arab League denounces the irresponsible action and acts of violence against the League's observers.

"It considers the Syrian government totally responsible for the protection of the members of the observer mission."

UN Under Secretary General Lynn Pascoe said in New York that it was particularly unsettling that the violence has not subsided in spite of the mission.

Germany’s UN ambassador Peter Wittig called on Russia to revive negotiations on a Security Council resolution that condemns the government of Syria for engaging in violence against its citizens.

The United Arab Emirates also criticized Syria for not facilitating the work of the observers.

"The job of the observers is getting more difficult day after day ... We do not see a commitment from the Syrian side that would allow them to do their job," said the UAE's foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

In his speech, al-Assad said Syria was open to dialogue. "We do not have a problem with dialogue and ... we are open to it. When we see everyone is ready to engage in talks, then we are ready to begin dialogue right away."

Sheikh Anas Airout, a member of the Syrian opposition, told dpa by phone that al-Assad's regime was living "on another planet and all its policies and promises are just pure lies."

"We the opposition will never accept to sit with this killer on the same table for dialogue," opposition member Bassam al-Imadi told broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Burhan Ghalyoun, the chief of Syria's National Council - a diaspora group of 140 leaders, said al-Assad's speech was an "incitement to more violence."

Yemenis organize "a day without khat" to fight corruption

2012-01-09T09:12:00.001+02:00

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) – Yemeni activists have launched a campaign urging people to stop chewing khat, a mildly narcotic plant, for one day on January 12 to protest corruption in the impoverished Gulf country.

   The campaign, called "I want Yemen to change, I will not store khat," was quickly spreading across several cities and on various social networking websites.

   For thousands of years khat leaves have been chewed in the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa. It is an intrinsic part of Yemeni culture, and millions of men, women and children chew the leaves on a daily basis.

   Once chewed, khat leaves release chemicals that are structurally related to amphetamines and the user experiences a mild high.

   Activist Abdel Rahim Alsamei said: "The plan is to fight all the corruption that has spread in the country because of khat."

   Alsamei, who is based in the southern city of Taiz, said that protesters were planning to hold meetings to raise awareness of the negative consequences of chewing khat. They will also visit markets where the plants are sold, and use loudspeakers to discourage people from buying them.

Yemeni protesters chewing khat (qat)/epa

   "Anyone chewing khat will not be allowed to enter the squares where protesters gather in Taiz," Alsamei told dpa by phone.

   Similar activities are expected to be organized in the capital Sana'a, activists said.

   "It is a main artery of bribery in our country. For example, employees ask citizens for khat, or money to buy it, before getting their work done," Alsamei added. "I am hopeful about this day."

   An estimated 90 per cent of adult Yemeni males chew khat for three to four hours a day, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in 2008. The same year, a World Bank study found that 73 per cent of Yemeni women consume the leaves frequently; while 15-20 per cent of children under 12 years are daily users.

   WHO does not consider khat to be a seriously addictive drug, but its impact is widespread in Yemen - on users' psychological and physical health, agriculture and the economy.

    For economists and ecologists, khat has become a symbol of all that ails Yemen. The plants consume vast quantities of scarce water supplies and exacerbate food shortages, as many farmers have replaced their crops with the more-lucrative khat. In this largely arid country, khat accounts for nearly half of all agricultural water usage.

   "Khat has detrimental effects on Yemen's agriculture, economy, health, society, and needs to be eradicated," activist Noon Arabia posted on Twitter.

   It can cause persistent hallucinations, affect sleep cycles, raise blood pressure and disrupt households, as a significant portion of monthly incomes are allocated to feed people's khat habit.

   Many activists blame outgoing president Ali Abdullah Saleh for the khat menace, saying he "worked on spreading the khat culture in all areas" to drive people away from politics.

   A government employee said that a breakdown for costs for any committee set up to follow a particular project, shows that part of the money is paid to get khat for the committee members.

   After the year-long uprising against Saleh, activists are shifting gear to focus on issues such as corruption, which they see as hindering Yemen's economic growth and path to democracy.

   Unlike its wealthy neighbour Saudi Arabia, which has banned it, Yemen keeps the cultivation and selling of the plant legal. It is common to find a khat corner in every market, where bundles of the plant are wrapped in cloth or plastic to keep the leaves fresh and tender.

   The anti-khat campaign comes ahead of presidential elections scheduled for February 21, when Saleh will officially be out of power following the terms of a Gulf-brokered transition deal.

   Activist Hamza al-Adini posted on Twitter: "The cursed khat trees have taken wisdom away from Yemen and pushed it from wealth to poverty and corruption."

Story picked up here

After political censorship, Arab artists fear new barriers

2012-01-08T10:31:00.000+02:00

Authors: Laura Schmid and Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo (dpa) - The final scene of Ein Shams, an independent award-winning Egyptian film, was supposed to show an old car rolling through central Cairo's Tahrir Square, carrying away the middle class family, with the protagonist Shams, towards their unknown future.

   While shooting this last scene, reality blended with fiction, creating a different tale. The 2006 movie ended with depictions of real policemen arresting the crew for filming without permission and script approval from the Interior Ministry.

   But artists now are hopeful they will not have to face similar restrictions in post-revolutionary Egypt.

   "The creative suffocation of the Egyptian art scene ended with the ousting of (Hosny) Mubarak," says Yasser Naeim, an aspiring young producer.

   "The Egyptian revolution spawned new artistic freedoms and now our duty as artists is to ensure that incidents like the arrest of Ibrahim al-Batout (the director of Shams) will not happen again," stressed Naeim, who filmed a short movie in 2010 about the difficulties of making Ein Shams.

   Liberated by the revolutionary fervour, the Arab uprisings spearheaded an explosion of creativity throughout the region, says Basma al-Husseiny, manager of al-Mawred al-Thaqafy, a cultural exchange centre seeking to support artistic creativity.

   Despite the "unprecedented mobilization of the art scene in the Arab world" many independent artists in Tunisia and Egypt have to deal with being an artist and a political activist at the same time - a duality that provides little time for reflection and partly prevents artists from performing, said Viola Shafik, a renowned scholar and filmmaker.

   "There had not been enough time for artists to take a step back and to develop new art forms, which is why, until now, the uprising itself is the dominating source of inspiration," she told dpa.

   Tunisia and Egypt were the first countries to overthrow their leaders in early 2011. The rest of the year was spent in political debates on how to move forward towards democracy.

   Several books were printed since the January 25 revolution in Egypt, most of them documenting the events. Others were only pictures taken during the 18 days of protests that forced Mubarak out of power.

   In cinema, one documentary was shown. Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad and the Politician, which touched upon different aspects of the uprising over three parts. The Good gives voice to the everyday heroes of the revolution, the Bad tells the story of four internal security officers assigned to crack down on protesters, while the Politician is a satirical deconstruction of Mubarak.

   In Tunisia, revolutionary art did not go much further than in Egypt. Artocracy in Tunisia - a photo exhibition held in Tunis displaying 100 portraits taken during the protests - is one example of how visual artists dealt with the popular uprising.

   "Currently, the actual change in culture is coming from the streets, because mainstream arts funded by the government are more rejected than ever," said Rana Yazji, a Syrian activist and curator.

   However, the rise of the Islamists parties in the Arab region have left artists wondering if they will be given the freedom to transform the cultural landscape.

   In Morocco, where the Islamist Justice and Development Party celebrated an election win in November, creative freedoms are already deteriorating, according to Mourad Kadiri, a Moroccan poet and cultural activist.

   Islamist politicians had demanded the 11th Marrakesh Film Festival in December be in line with Islamic values and have objected to a showing of Amours Voilees, an independent movie, that portrays the extramarital pregnancy of a veiled woman.

   Kadiri told a recent cultural forum in Cairo that this kind of censorship is an alarming signal of a deteriorating artistic freedoms in the country.

   "With a parliament of mostly Islamists, the newly gained artistic freedoms might be short-lived," Egyptian visual artist Huda Lufti said, adding that artists should protect their revolutionary achievements by creating a lobby to pressure the Islamists.

   Despite these growing concerns, renowned Egyptian novelist Bahaa Taher is optimistic that the regional art scene will thrive.

   "The new creative generation personifies our hopes to stand against certain worrying developments that are taking place right now," Taher said.

Graffiti of soldier in Zamalek

2011-12-27T16:53:00.000+02:00

Graffiti in Cairo's district of Zamalek. I took the photo on December 26.

Human rights put to the test in turbulent Middle East

2011-12-26T09:55:00.003+02:00

Authors: Nehal El-Sherif and Laura Schmid

   Cairo (dpa) - In June, a Bahraini military court sentenced activist Ali Abdulemam to 15 years in jail on charges of spreading false information and seeking to overthrow the government.

   Six months later, Maikel Nabil, an Egyptian blogger, was sentenced to two years in prison for using the internet to spread "lies about the armed forces."

   Almost a year after the death of Tunisian fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi stirred up a political maelstrom across the region, human rights - one of the key demands of the Arab uprisings - are still being put to the test.

   There has been some good news. Tunisia's one-time dissident Moncef Marzouki, for instance, has been elected the country's president.

   But many activists are worried that the victory of the Islamist Ennahda party in the October election could yet derail the country's democratization efforts.

   "Tunisians revolted to establish a new system, where human rights are at the centre of reforms, not for giving the old system a religious component,” said Tunisian rights advocate Yassin Ayyari.

   According to him, Ennahda lacks an encompassing reform programme and "instead of addressing reforms, moves the debate towards sentimental, religious problems."

   "The most jeopardized human right is the right to be different," Ayyari told a recent panel discussion on human rights in Cairo. He said that many followers of Ennahada falsely equated criticizing the government with criticizing Islam.

   The rise of Islamism in the wake of the region's uprisings has triggered fears that the tide will impede the promotion of human rights, by subtly changing the mindset of the people and leading them away from their initial struggle for a new system that respects human rights.

   "The Islamist parties in Tunisia and Egypt focus on religion and thereby herd people away from the real issues on the ground," Khawla Mattar, head of the United Nation Information Centre in Cairo, told dpa.

   Dozens of Egyptians have been killed in 2011 in a string of clashes with army and police forces over the right to protest, she noted.

   Frej Fenniche, a senior human rights officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, believes that “human rights in Egypt have developed negatively” since the popular uprising that forced Hosny Mubarak out of office in February.

   According to Fenniche, the military rulers who took over after Mubarak have failed to implement the expected legislative changes.

   Worst still, they have also referred over 12,000 civilians to military trials – an average of about 50 a day - between February until August alone. Unlike in civil courts, defendants cannot appeal verdicts passed by military tribunals.

   “The reality on the ground is that the Supreme Court of the Armed Forces is adopting the inhumane methods of the Mubarak regime. Over the past months, we have recorded several cases of torture and excessive violations of the right to be tried before civil courts by the (ruling) military council," said Nehal al-Banna, of the Cairo Institute for Human Right Studies.

   The situation is not much better in the Gulf region, which has also been hit by a yearning for change.

   “There is no clear picture about the future in Yemen. There are realistic fears of a civil war as people increasingly distrust each other,” said Yemeni activist Hend al-Nasiri.

   A November Gulf-brokered deal involving a peaceful power transfer is still not complete, with forces loyal to long-standing president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his rivals occasionally locked in bloody violence.

   In Bahrain, pro-democracy protests have so far failed to topple their long-standing rulers, with the Gulf Cooperation Council accused by activists of playing a key role in quelling the protests, either by force or through political means.

   “The grip of the Al-Khalifa (royal) family on power in Bahrain is still tight. They use excessive force to keep power, forcing many human rights activists into hiding," Hussain Yousif, a coordinator from the Bahrain Press Association, told dpa.

   According to Yousif, who fears detention and is in exile in Egypt, "everyone who critically speaks out in public (in Bahrain) faces arrest and false accusations."

   The United Arab Emirates (UAE) seems to be one of the few countries to have avoided the protests that have erupted almost everywhere else in the Middle East. Yet, government opponents say they do not feel safe. The case of five political activists detained for seven months on charges of insulting the Gulf country's president, for instance, have caused a stir.

   They were finally pardoned in November, one day after being sentenced to up to three years in prison, following strong pressure from international human rights groups.

   According to Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, their freeing was a positive step.

   "But a commutation alone will not undo the government's terrible mishandling of this case," Whitson said.

Also picked up by Bikya Masr and Bahrain Spring

Egypt's revolution is false dawn for women

2011-12-21T18:12:00.000+02:00

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa
Cairo (dpa) – Hopes that the Egyptian revolution would improve the status of women in the Arab world's most populous country have been dimmed after a parliamentary election dominated by men and images of police beating female protesters made headlines all over the world.

Women turnout in the first two rounds of Egypt's first democratic parliamentary election was high. Many waited hours in long lines to cast their ballots. However, less than 10 per cent of some 11,000 candidates vying for parliament seats are women, advocacy groups say.

epa

   “Many women voted for candidates who would not serve their interests,” said Naiera al-Leithy of the Al-Nakib Centre for Training and Democracy Support, a non-governmental organization that monitors the election.

   Under Egyptian law, two-thirds of parliament's 498 seats are allocated to party lists, with the other third earmarked for independent candidates. Each party list must have at least one woman, but her rank on the 10-member list is decided by the party.

   Most parties have relegated women to the bottom five slots on their lists, minimizing their chances of winning a seat.

   None of the women who stood as independents in the first two stages of the election, held in late November and mid-December, has won.

   Amany Essawi, a 46-year-old government employee, is one of them.

   “Women did not have a say in the constitutional declaration" said Essawi, referring to a governing document unilaterally drafted by the ruling military council in March after former president Hosny Mubarak stepped down in February.

   "Very few were appointed in the ensuing governments. In fact, women have been sidelined from the democratization process,” said Essawi, who stood in Giza, Egypt's third largest city.

   Essawi believes that the media, educational institutions and women themselves must join hands to improve the status of Egyptian women and give them a greater role in society and politics.

   “The new parliament will be the one setting the educational standards,” she said, voicing little hope of future legislation to improve the status of women.

   Al-Leithy from the AL-Nakib NGO says that despite a high voter turnout, including among women, many Egyptians voted for candidates and parties they know little or nothing about in a country where the literacy rate among adults is 66 per cent.

   Many women rights activists feel that their fight is no easier now than under Mubarak.

   Women were actively engaged in the popular protests that ended Mubarak's 30-year, organizing demonstrations and giving first aid to people injured in clashes with police.

   That role has continued in recent weeks during violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Cairo, where women demonstrators were attacked by police. An incident involving three riot policemen beating a woman and dragging her on the floor with her shirt ripped open, drew condemnation at home and abroad.

   A picture of the incident was printed on the front pages of some Egyptian newspapers and was aired by international broadcasters.

   "We – the women of the revolution - have worked hard to mobilize the streets. We have rich experiences and have a vision,” said Huda Nasrallah, a lawyer who is running in Cairo’s northern district of al-Sahel.

   “Instead of being honoured for our role in the revolution, we have been marginalized and even beaten,” said Nasrallah, who is running for the newly formed Socialist Popular Alliance Party.

   Thousands of women marched in Cairo on Monday to protest the incident and to demand an end to violence against protesters.

   It was not the first attack on women demonstrators under the ruling military council. Less than a month after Mubarak's resignation, some 200 women gathering in Cairo to mark International Women's Day were attacked and sexually harassed by a group of men.

   In March, a group of women detained by the army were beaten and forced to take virginity tests. The ruling military admitted such tests had taken place, saying they were necessary to prevent women from claiming they had been raped by security and prison officials.

   The tests were condemned by human rights groups as abusive and insulting.

   “Many people have blamed this girl rather than standing by her,” said Nasrallah, the parliamentary hopeful, referring to criticism for obscene behaviour leveled at the woman beaten by police. “We still need a long time to change society's perception of women.”

Egypt's women up pressure on military over violence

2011-12-21T18:06:00.000+02:00

By Nehal El-Sherif and Ramadan Al-Fatash, dpa

Cairo (dpa) – After she was beaten by soldiers during clashes in Cairo, ativist Ghada Kamal is more determined than ever to force Egypt's military rulers to hand over power to a civilian administration.

Egyptian women protest against military violence/AP

   “If there are still men in Egypt, they have to turn up in the streets to join us in our struggle against the military,” Kamal, a physician, told an anti-military rally in Cairo on Tuesday.

   The image of another girl, whose shirt was ripped by policemen who beat and dragged her on the floor during clashes last week, drew international criticism. Fourteen people were killed and nearly 800 injured in clashes that started on December 16.

   Thousands of women marched in the Egyptian capital this week, chanting slogans against the military, saying police and soldiers should be ashamed for the attacks on women.

   Placards raised at the demonstration read: “Egypt’s girls are a red line” and “It's a shame on our soldiers to attack protesters and assault women.”

   Some women activists have threatened to take the case to international courts if the incident is not investigated and the culprits punished.

   In an apparent attempt to appease the protesters, the military rulers, who have been governing since former president Hosny Mubarak's resignation in February, expressed their ”extreme regret” over what they called transgressions against female demonstrators.

   “We fully respect Egypt's women and appreciate their positive engagement in the political life on the road to Egypt's democratic transformation,” said the junta in a statement on Tuesday.

   Its promise to punish the culprits did little to placate women activists.

   “The military council has been at pains to prevent women from engagement in making the future of post-Mubarak Egypt,” said Reem al-Khafesh, a female activist. “The military has even sought to degrade girls by subjecting them to virginity tests”.

   Al Khafesh was referring to virginity tests reportedly forced by military authorities on women detained during a pro-democracy protest in Cairo in March.

   Egyptian newspapers on Wednesday quoted the head of the military judiciary, Adel al-Mursi, as saying that the suspects in the incident were being tried before the Supreme Military Court.

   Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized the military over the violence against women protesters.

   “This systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonours the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform and is not worthy of a great people," said Clinton.

   Meanwhile, a dozen Egyptian opposition groups have called for a fresh mass protest on Friday to condemn violence by police and soldiers against demonstrators.

   The rally will demand that the military expedite power transfer to a civilian administration by February 11 at the latest - the day that will mark the anniversary of Mubarak's ouster.

   The military has pledged to hand over power to an elected president by next July.

   “Instead of being honoured for our role in the revolution (against Mubarak), we have been marginalized and even beaten up,” said Huda Nasrallah, who is standing for parliament.

   “Many people have blamed the girl brutalized by the soldiers (at the weekend) rather than standing by her,” Nasrallah, told dpa.

   “We still need a long time to change society's perception of women.”

Saudi prince buys 300-million-dollar stake in Twitter

2011-12-20T09:35:00.000+02:00

Author: Nehal El-Sherif, Andy Goldberg

   Riyadh/ San Francisco (dpa) - Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal announced on Monday that he had bought a stake in the networking website Twitter in a 300-million-dollar deal.

   The Kingdom Holding Company, an investment firm founded by Al-Waleed, said that the "strategic deal comes after several months of negotiations."

   Al-Waleed is a nephew of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz. His net worth is estimated by Forbes magazine to be 19.6 billion dollars and he is well-known as a strategic investor is such iconic companies as Apple, Citigroup and News Corp.

"The deal of 2012 is a gift to every Arab citizen. It demonstrates our ability to identify promising investment opportunities that are characterized by high growth as well as global presence and impact," Al-Waleed said in a statement.

   Twitter, one of the most popular networking and microblogging websites, has played a key role in the Arab uprisings that began this year. Activists have used it to spread news of protests and arrests during their rallies against Arab leaders.

“We believe that social media will fundamentally change the media industry landscape in the coming years.Twitter will capture and monetize this positive trend,” Ahmed Halawani, a KHC Executive said.

   Twitter, which claims to have more than 100 million users around the world, is said to be planning an IPO within two years. It raised 800 million dollars in June from a variety of investors in a deal that reportedly valued the company as high as 8 billion dollars.

republished here and here

Egypt's rulers defend military violence, blame protesters

2011-12-20T09:32:00.000+02:00

By Christine Bro and Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - Egypt's military council on Monday blamed protesters for the violence that left 12 civilians killed since clashes in central Cairo began four days ago, saying the army had to intervene to protect public property.

   "Our soldiers [used] self-restraint and were insulted. Rocks and petrol bombs were thrown at them," said Adel Emara, a member of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

   “Using violence against protesters is a fake allegation circulated by mass media,” he added.

   During a press conference, Emara showed video of young men throwing rocks and petrol bombs at government buildings as well as interviews with alleged witnesses who said they were paid to attack the troops.

   The country is facing a "systemic plan" targeting its security, said Emara, adding that the military council had information that people gathered in Tahrir Square were planning to burn the country's parliament building on Monday.

   The building housing parliament is located a few metres away from Tahrir Square, near the cabinet headquarters, where the recent clashes took place.

   A cautious calm prevailed in central Cairo on Monday, for the first time since clashes began on Friday. Protesters are demanding that the military hand over power to a civilian administration.

   Ahmad Aggour, a 23-year-old protester injured by the military, said that the number of protesters had declined due to the violent clampdown.

   "This is not just a street war but a media war because now public support for the protests is so low. Many people are with the military council because they are receiving false information from state television," Aggour told dpa.

   "The military council wants these buildings to burn so they put the blame on protesters," he added, referring to a library containing rare books that was set on fire during the recent clashes.

   The army has erected a third concrete wall to prevent the protesters from reaching the nearby parliament and cabinet offices.

   Members of the opposition April 6 movement said that the ruling council had lied about not using violence on protesters and blamed it for the deaths and injuries of protesters.

   “Unfortunately the military is not admitting the truth,” the group said.

   The group showed journalists footage of soldiers beating protesters and using live fire against civilians. It also showed footage of protesters dousing a fire, discounting allegations by the military council that protesters were setting buildings on fire.

   “Despite all the violence that happened, including against members from our group, we will continue to adopt a non-violent approach,” Ahmad Maher, one of the founders of April 6, told reporters.

   The military council has also been criticized for using violence against female protesters.

   Military Council member Emara said that an investigation had been launched into an incident where a girl was stripped of her clothes in the street and beaten by army forces.

   The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemned Monday what she described as the "brutal suppression" of demonstrations by military and security forces in Cairo.

"The graphic images of protesters, including women, being brutally clubbed and assaulted, long after the point when they are showing any resistance, are utterly shocking," Pillay said in a statement.

   This latest violence is the worst since last month, when more than 40 people were killed in clashes between security personnel and pro-democracy protesters near Tahrir Square.

   Despite being praised for siding with the protest movement that forced former president Hosny Mubarak to set down in February, the military has since been criticized for using force against pro-democracy demonstrators and refusing to hand power to a civilian administration.

Arab uprisings give way to uncertainty in 2012

2011-12-15T14:59:00.000+02:00

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

Cairo (dpa) - By the end of 2011, three North African countries will have ousted their leaders while a fourth, Yemen, appears on the verge of forcing out the president, although by more political means.

Yet other countries appear to be trapped in a conflict between the people and their regimes, in a phase that - despite an increasing death toll and continuous protests - seems static.

"Change is the magic word of the year, which started with anger and finished with uncertainty," said Basma al-Husseini, manager of Al-Mawred al-Thaqafy, a cultural exchange centre in Cairo.

Within the region, the outcome in Syria is the most uncertain. After nine months of protests and the death of at least 5,000 people, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad does not seem to be giving up power soon.

"Al-Assad is finished historically, but he can last well into 2012," said Sultan Al Qassemi, a commentator on Arab affairs based in the United Arab Emirates.

He said al-Assad's remaining length of time in office depended on how desperately his local and international supporters were "trying to make a point."

Arab countries have put pressure on Damascus to end the violence, but are not backing all uprisings across the region.

In the kingdom of Bahrain, they stopped short of supporting pro-democracy protests.

Rallies in Oman and Kuwait were swiftly contained by the rulers, while the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) sent its troops to help the Sunni Bahraini royal family end protests led by the Shiite majority.

"Right now, the Gulf is the only bloc working closely trying to preserve one other," Al Qassemi said, adding that he did not expect any changes in the Gulf region in the "next two to three years."

In Yemen, the GCC intervened with a political solution to the crisis that gave outgoing president Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity.

However, the power transfer deal did not quell the protests, with activists still camping in the squares, calling for the persecution of Saleh.

Transitions in Tunisia and Egypt have made greater progress but, to the disappointment of many, the post-revolution phase has been marked by protests, violence, and apparent power struggles between political groups.

"I'm most optimistic about Tunisia," said Florian Kohstall, a German political researcher based in Egypt. "The elections for the constitutional assembly were very transparent and marked the beginning of a new era."

In October, Tunisia became the first "Arab Spring" country to hold elections, which were described as "remarkably free and fair."

"Contrary to Egypt, elections in Tunisia can be interpreted as a real break with the old system," added Kohstall, who heads the Cairo office of the Free University of Berlin.

Tunisia has seen less violence than Egypt, Libya, Syria or Yemen. By comparison, the Egyptian transition was marred by intermittent clashes between protesters and police forces, as well as attacks on the country's Christian minority.

In Egypt, some activists believe polls will take their revolution to a new political level. Others fear it will give legitimacy to the ruling military council, appointed by the ousted leader Hosny Mubarak.

A first round of elections was frowned upon after initial results showed big gains for the Islamists, notably the Muslim Brotherhood's newly founded Freedom and Justice Party. Similarly, in Tunisia the Islamist party Ennahda won the highest share of the vote.

There are fears that Libya could follow Saudi Arabia in adopting a strict interpretation of Islamic law, after the country's interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said in September that any "law that violates the Sharia is null and void legally."

Geographically located between Egypt and Tunisia, Abdul Jalil's reassurances of maintaining a moderate society in Libya have not removed such concerns.

Al Qassemi believes that Islamist gains are a positive step, whether in Egypt or Tunisia.

"They have been an unknown entity for the people for eight decades, now they will leave the realm of the mysterious and enter reality. They need to be allowed to fail," Al Qassemi said.

However, according to him, it was too early to judge which of the Arab countries would reach their goals first. "This is not an overnight issue," he said.

While some observers remain optimistic about the future following the Arab uprisings, Lebanese columnist Mohamed al-Sammak warned that people who have revolted once can do it again, if their goals are not achieved.

"Through such transition, it is normal to go through difficult and complicated times," he said. "Yet, it is important that it does not become a new disappointment, because if that happens, it would set the stage for a new set of movements seeking change."

Youth’s fight for democracy shifts from Tahrir to parliament

2011-12-14T18:54:00.002+02:00

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

Cairo (dpa) – Like dozens of young Egyptians standing for parliament, Amr Abdel Hady does not have much money to spend on campaigning.

So he has spent most of the past weeks walking around the streets in his district in Giza near Cairo to canvass potential voters.

“They could see I was coming alone to talk and listen to them. I have neither bodyguards nor campaigners,” said Abdel Hady, who is running as an independent.

The 34-year-old is running in the second round of Egypt's three-stage parliamentary elections. The second stage began Wednesday in nine of Egypt’s 27 governorates.

The two main Islamist parties, who were officially licensed after the ouster of former president Hosny Mubarak, came top in the initial round of the polls, which run until mid-January. Liberals, meanwhile, lagged behind in third place.

The surge in Islamists' gains at the ballot box has triggered fears that freedoms will be restricted in post-revolutionary Egypt.

“I've been asked this question many times: 'Are you a liberal or a (hardline) Salafist?'. My usual answer is: ‘I belong to a moderate family, who know how to enjoy life',” Abdel Hady told dpa.

A lawyer, a political activist and a writer, Abdel Hady was one of millions of Egyptians who took to the streets across Egypt calling for Mubarak to step down earlier this year.

He decided to run for the new parliament to push for a “balanced constitution and a government that can achieve the goals of the revolution.”

Mubarak was forced out of power on February 11 after hundreds of thousands of Egyptians camped in central Cairo's Tahrir Square for 18 days.

The military council, whose members were appointed by Mubarak, has been ruling the country since then.

Although credited for its support for the January 25 revolution, the military junta has been criticized for using force against pro-democracy demonstrators since then and setting a slow pace for reforms.

“The council has acted as though no revolution had taken place. It should have barred Mubarak’s loyalists from running in these elections,” Abdel Hady said.

He added that exposing these loyalists to the public was another reason for his decision to stand for parliament.

Despite his few resources, Abdel Hady's political ambitions are high. He plans to run for the presidency in 2017 when he is 40 years old.

“If I win in my bid for the parliament, my experience will be a great asset for me. If not, I'll focus on outlining my presidential campaign to prove that a young man can rule Egypt. I am hopeful,” said Abdel Hady.

Unlike Abdel Hady, Doaa Bishry was not involved in politics before the anti-Mubarak revolt. However, she decided to run for parliament.

"I felt I finally got the opportunity to participate in shaping the future of my country," she said.

"I also wanted to show that we, the youth, can be present both in Tahrir Square and parliament, and that the revolutionary and political movements can work on parallel lines," said Bishry, who is running on the ticket of the newly formed Al-Adl (Justice) Party.

Over the past few years, Egypt's youth have played a key role in organizing protests against the Mubarak regime, extensively using social media.

"This is the parliament of the revolution. I am convinced that the revolution is still under way,” said 25-year-old Mohammed Gamal, the youngest Egyptian contesting a parliamentary seat.

He is running in the southern province of Minya, where elections are to be held as part of the final round on January 3.

“The new parliament marks a crucial stage to complete the revolution," added Gamal.

According to a report by the United Nations in 2011, 25 per cent of Egyptians are between the ages of 18 and 29.

Gamal is a member of the newly formed Al-Tayar al-Masry (the Egyptian Tide), a moderate Islamist party whose members defected from the influential Muslim Brotherhood.

It is part of the Revolution Continues Alliance that supports many young activists vying for parliament.

"We want to restore Egypt's status that was mired in corruption and hypocrisy for decades," Gamal said.