The release of two Nasserist MPs was applauded in parliamentary and political circles. Gamal Essam El-Din reports Prosecutor-General Maher Abdel- Wahed ordered on Sunday the release of two Nasserist MPs Hamdeen Sabahi and Mohamed Farid Hassanein, who were accused one week ago of inciting anti-US demonstrators at a rally to attack police, commit acts of sabotage and chant anti-government slogans. Abdel-Wahed's order came as a big surprise to most MPs and political pundits. Having been placed in custody on 23 March for 15 days pending investigation of the above charges, Sabahi and Hassanein were released suddenly after just one week. The statement also ordered the release of 64 protestors accused of being accomplices of Sabahi and Hassanein in clashes with police forces during the violent anti-US demonstration staged on 21 March. From a total of 800 arrests, this brings to 96 the number of those released from custody on charges of staging riots and violent anti-war marches. Despite the fact that it came as a surprise, the prosecutor-general's decision to release Sabahi and Hassanein was very well received in parliamentary and political circles. Leftist and Nasserist MPs told Al-Ahram Weekly they hoped the release of Sabahi and Hassanein was final and that all the charges brought against them would be dropped by the prosecutor- general. Abdel-Wahed said the prosecutor-general still had to make a decision on whether the MPs will have to stand trial. In a statement to the People's Assembly on 24 March, the Justice Minister Farouk Seif El-Nasr said that due to their parliamentary immunity as MPs, Article 99 of the constitution was required to be invoked in order to initiate investigations against Sabahi and Hassanein. "This article states that no MPs shall be subject to criminal prosecution without prior permission of the assembly except in cases where MPs are caught red-handed," Seif El-Nasr said. He added that photographic and video-tape evidence of the offence was in existence. In a bid to contain public rage against the US-led war in Iraq, Abdel- Wahed said the office of the prosecutor-general fully appreciated "the desire of the masses to show solidarity with the Iraqi people. The prosecutor- general, however, urges the public in this uncertain period to practice self- restraint and be aware of the fact that every Egyptian citizen is responsible for maintaining internal peace during this difficult time," said Abdel-Wahed. MPs concede that this statement is a positive step towards winning over public opinion and preventing a rift occurring between the government and the opposition. Abdel-Azim El- Maghrabi told the Weekly that the release of Sabahi and Hassanein might be a part of a new policy which the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) has decided to adopt in the face of criticism of its pro-American stance on this war. "Anyhow, while this is a good policy, the opposition has indicated many times that we are all in the one boat and must unite against the current Anglo-American assault on the Arab world. We also warned that bringing arbitrary measures against some political forces, especially opposition MPs, could seriously damage internal peace and stability," El- Maghrabi said. Informed parliamentary sources revealed to the Weekly that several opposition MPs led by Khaled Mohieddin, leader of the leftist Tagammu Party, appealed to the People's Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour and Prime Minister Atef Ebeid to do their utmost to release Sabahi and Hassanein and have the charges dropped. As part of their appeal, opposition MPs warned that detaining Sabahi and Hassanein without prior permission from the assembly and bringing them to trial before the Supreme State Security Court could damage internal peace and stability. This appeal was supported by prominent NDP MPs such as Hamdi El- Sayed, chairman of parliament's Health Committee and the Doctors Syndicate. Hamdi took part in last Friday's anti-war demonstration in front of Al-Azhar Mosque, which was led by both Muslim Brotherhood and leftist MPs. The demonstration was markedly peaceful and calm; there were no demonstrators chanting anti- government slogans and there were no clashes with security forces. This underlined the fact that the violent demonstration of 21 March, in which Sabahi and Hassanein were involved, was probably an isolated incident rather part of a tendency to use anti-war demonstrations to settle old scores with the government. Sabahi and Hassanein are currently viewed by many of their leftist-leaning MP colleagues and by newspapers as "heroes who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the cause of maintaining the dignity of the Arab world and the Egyptian people in the face of their Anglo-American and Zionist enemies," as one MP put it. Sabahi and Hassanein have also become the symbols of constitutional sovereignty given the arbitrary nature of the executive authority. "It is a proud moment for Sabahi and Hassanein to be arrested on charges of loving Egypt in the face of dictatorship and political oppression," MP Mohamed Abdel-Alim said. Leftist MPs, on the other hand, have singled out Parliament Speaker Fathi Sorour as their favourite target for criticism. According to Khaled Mohieddin, Sorour was taken aback by the arrest of Sabahi and Hassanein. Opposition MPs agreed that Sorour failed to uphold the sovereignty of the assembly in the face of governmental power. Diaeddin Dawoud, chairman of the Nasserist Party, said it was a shame that a man who wrote several books on public and constitutional freedom could accept the detention of two MPs without prior permission from the assembly.
