The constitutional declaration announced by Egypt's military rulers was met with a mixed response, reports Gamal Essam El-Din Last Friday thousands of people protested in Tahrir Square to demand former president Hosni Mubarak and senior figures from his regime face trial on charges of corruption. The mass protests came in answer to calls from the Youth Revolution Coalition (YRC) urging the public to re-take to the streets to "save the revolution" from "counter- revolutionary efforts". On top of the list of demands was the urgent prosecution of Zakaria Azmi, Mubarak's chief of staff; Safwat El-Sherif, the secretary-general of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Fathi Sorour, for more than two decades the speaker of the People's Assembly. The assembled activists also called for Mubarak and his family to be tried, money secreted abroad by the former president and his aides to be restored, for a presidential council to be established and the NDP disbanded. YRC leaders criticised the presence of the NDP's former secretary-general, Hossam Badrawi, in ongoing national dialogue, arguing that the NDP should not have any representation "after sabotaging Egypt's political life". Badrawi, appointed as NDP secretary- general in the early days of the revolution, was viewed by many opposition groups as the leader of the reformist wing in the NDP. He resigned just before Mubarak stepped down, announcing his intention to establish a new, liberal party. More than 120 families who lost members during the revolution joined the protests to condemn the tardy way in which those responsible for killing young demonstrators were being pursued. "I am here to call for justice and demand the trial of El-Sherif who was involved in the killing of my son," said one of the fathers. On 2 February hired thugs invaded Tahrir Square with camels and horses to attack protesters, an event dubbed the Battle of the Camel. A fact finding committee charged with looking into the incident suggested that the attack could have been instigated by Gamal Mubarak, the younger son of Hosni Mubarak, El-Sherif and four other senior NDP officials. Youth leaders who talked to Al-Ahram Weekly said they had returned to Tahrir Square because the basic demands of the revolution had not yet been met. "Mubarak has not been put on trial and the NDP is still at work. Municipal councils and governors appointed by the old regime have not been replaced either," said Ahmed Maher, the leader of 6 April Movement. He added that stalwarts of the Mubarak regime still dominate workers' unions and public companies. The emergency law has not been lifted and most political detainees remain in captivity. YRC is one of seven unions formed during the revolution. It includes the 6 April Youth Movement, Youth for Freedom and Justice, the El-Baradei Campaign, the Muslim Brotherhood Youth Group, the Democratic Front's youth group and the National Association for Change. Last Friday's protest was the first since the beginning of March to be held in Tahrir Square. The turnout was much less than at earlier demonstrations. Following the resignation of prime minister Ahmed Shafik the YRC agreed with the Higher Council of the Armed Forces (HCAF) to suspend Tahrir protests in order to give the army time to prepare for the referendum and allow room for the new government, led by Essam Sharaf, to get to work. Observers say that the army's top priority now is stability and it is unlikely to take major -- and potentially disruptive -- decisions such as dismantling the NDP or dissolving municipal councils any tome soon. Following the referendum of 19 March in which 77.2 per cent of voters approved of the handful of constitutional amendments up for ratification, the YRC and other opposition groups decided to return to Tahrir square to press the HCAF to fulfil more of the demands of the revolution. Diaa Rashwan, an expert at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, believes the erosion of trust between youth movements and the army is a result of the HCAF's seeming unwillingness to hold Mubarak and his senior officials accountable. On Monday a Cairo court ordered the bank accounts and assets of El-Sherif, Azmi and Sorour, along with the former housing and utilities minister Ibrahim Suleiman, to be frozen. The decision came four days after a travel ban was placed on the four officials. On Tuesday a special committee was formed to investigate the finances of ousted Mubarak. Youth movements welcomed the step but insist on holding a mass demonstration tomorrow to accelerate the investigation process and to force the ousting of all governors appointed by former president Mubarak. The Muslim Brotherhood, which did not take part in last Friday's protest, announced it will participate in the coming demonstration because "it supports the demands of the YRC to save the revolution from Mubarak's regime officials". The protesters are planning to hold a popular trial for Mubarak and his family in Tahrir Square. Leading judge Mahmoud El-Khodeiri will preside. "The popular trial is a way to express the demand that the people who corrupted Egyptian life and stole the Egyptians' money for decades be brought to justice speedily," says El-Khodeiri. He added that there is no reason not to hold Mubarak's senior aids accountable in fair trials and the army should act quickly to do so.
