Approximately 150 members from the Muslim Brotherhood bloc in parliament, independent candidates and activists from Kefaya, the 6 April Youth Movement, and Mesreyat Maa el-Taghyeer (Egyptian Women for Change), protested yesterday before parliament calling on Fathi Sorour, the People's Assembly speaker, to strip Nashaat el-Qassas and Ahmed Abu Aqrab, MPs from the National Democratic Party, of parliamentary immunity. Nashaat el-Qassas and Ahmed Abu Aqrab recently called on the police to shoot protesters, saying the way police deal with protests is too lenient. The protesters called for permission to organize a peaceful march leading from Omar Makram Mosque in Tahrir Square to Maglis el-Shaab Street on 3 May in order for officials to evidence their good intentions. They urged other groups of workers and people with special needs to join them in their protest. Mohamed el-Beltagui, secretary general for the Muslim Brotherhood bloc, independent MP Gamal Zahran, and Ayman Nour, former president of the Ghad Party, submitted a request to Sorour urging him to strip Abu Aqrab and el-Qassas of parliamentary immunity. According to the request, Article 360 of the People's Assembly's by-laws states that an MP should be stripped of his/her immunity if he/she is sued, or if incriminating evidence is presented against him/her. Hamdi Hassan, media spokesperson for the Brotherhood bloc, said the Brotherhood and the opposition believe that the action against Abu Aqrab and el-Qassas is unlikely to yield any results since the NDP has the majority of seats in parliament. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
