Gaza on verge of famine as war escalates, ceasefire talks stall    Gaza crisis, trade on agenda as Trump hosts Starmer in Scotland    Obama calls for aid access to Gaza, says 'no justification' for withholding food    Egyptian president follows up on initiatives to counter extremist thought    Egypt's SCZONE eyes deeper investment, port digitalisation ties with Singapore    Egypt's gold prices slip slightly on July 28th    Egypt's Housing Min. reviews HDP marketing plan    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egypt, South Africa pledge to deepen development cooperation at G20 meeting    Egypt's PM orders road maintenance review, tougher penalties to curb accidents    Egypt, Novartis explore expanding collaboration in oncology, cardiology    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Midar partners with Adeer to develop Boulevard project in Mostakbal City with EGP 70bn investment    Association of Real Estate Developers seeks urgent meeting over threatened land deallocation on Northwest Coast    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    Sudan's ambassador to Egypt holds reconstruction talks on with Arab League    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Egypt welcomes 25-nation statement urging end to Gaza war    Sisi sends letter to Nigerian president affirming strategic ties    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt foils terrorist plot, kills two militants linked to Hasm group    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Thursday''s papers: SCAF''s accomplishments from the past year
Published in Almasry Alyoum on 05 - 01 - 2012

As we approach the first anniversary of the 25 January revolution, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is likely to offer the Egyptian people “gifts”; concessions to deter them from taking to the streets again, writes columnist Emad Eddin Hussein in privately owned Al-Shorouk.
Leaks about Mubarak's trial being concluded in forty days seem to be one of these gifts. The decision to hold the first session of parliament on 23 January is another. And there's also the maximum wage law and the cabinet decision to begin distributing affordable housing units.
But the “trial of the century,” as the media has named it, doesn't seem to be going so well. The prosecution announced Wednesday that Interior Ministry and General Intelligence Services refused to cooperate with investigations into the criminal charges brought against Mubarak and his co-defendants. Hence, Mubarak is being tried for his political responsibility rather than based on concrete evidence of giving orders to shoot protesters.
State-run Al-Akhbar details the evidence presented by the prosecution, including video footage that purportedly shows peaceful protesters being killed and the testimonies of more than 2,000 police officers, forensic doctors and witnesses confirming the “systemized killing” of protesters across Egypt in the early days of the 25 January uprising.
On Tuesday, lead prosecutor Mostafa Suleiman accused Mubarak of tyranny and corruption, and said the former president devoted the last decade of his rule to ensuring that his son, Gamal, would succeed him. Whereas Suleiman's case has been hailed by the public and the press, Ahmed al-Sawy criticizes it as irrelevant to the charges in an Al-Shorouk column titled “Mubarak's acquittal.”
“The prosecution speaks to the public with slogans that have no direct relevance to the legal technicalities of the case,” he writes, asking readers to review its transcription to find out the “amazing truth”: either the prosecution did not do its job or there is no case to make in the first place.
In privately owned Al-Tahrir, Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Eissa adds that the ruling military council and key figures in Mubarak's regime should be added to the defendant list if, as Suleiman argued Tuesday, the charges are for corrupting politics in Egypt. He makes a case against current Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri in particular, running his resignation letter submitted to Mubarak in 1999 in which Ganzouri praised Mubarak's rule and remarked on how he improved the lives of Egyptians. Eissa argues that this makes him complicit in Mubarak's corruption.
The crackdown on civil society and human rights groups last Thursday is another reason most newspapers cite for people to take to the streets again. The April 6 Youth Movement has confirmed it will continue mobilizing people to come out and demand their rights, despite the recent detention of four of its members.
The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) takes a more diplomatic stance on the issue. The party sees the crackdown on human rights agencies as legally justified, and frames it in its party-run Freedom and Justice paper as part of the fight against US hegemony in Egypt. The story cites recent statements from US officials threatening to block aid to Egypt if these repressive practices continue.
Still the Brotherhood, along with several political groups, is calling on people to celebrate the revolution's first anniversary on 25 January, according to the Freedom and Justice paper. Along with the celebrations, the groups will call for the trial and punishment of all those responsible for killing protesters.
As for the SCAF's other accomplishments thus far, the first part of the final stage of People's Assembly elections has ended. Official results are expected to be announced on Saturday. The FJP continues to lead, based on preliminary results. One issue gaining importance is the Advisory Council's recent proposal to increase the number of military-appointed members of parliament from 10 to 30, a proposal that many see as contradicting the March Constitutional Declaration and a means to increase the Advisory Council's influence on the parliament.
Egypt's papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Youm7: Daily, privately owned
Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned
Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party


Clic here to read the story from its source.