CAIRO: Members of the Lawyers' Syndicate have called for an extraordinary general assembly April 2 to debate the issue of Ayman Nour's name being struck off the syndicate register. The temporary council, currently in charge of the syndicate until elections take place and headed by Councilor Rifaat El-Sayed, has disbarred Nour from the syndicate because he was convicted of a crime in 2005. "Let us not speak of indictments, I have 10 indictments against them, including the right to pray when I was behind bars, and none have been carried out, Nour said. In the ruined surroundings of Al-Ghad party headquarters in Talaat Harb, after it was set on fire during an inter-party dispute, Nour spoke Tuesday night of the unconstitutionality of the decision to disbar him. "After four years of false imprisonment and illness and oppression, now I cannot work. I have a right to work. If it is a tightening of the noose until strangulation so we don't do what we are doing, then we will continue doing it, he said. Lawyers present indicated that they would support Nour even if there were differences of political ideology. Ali Suleiman, secretary general of the syndicate committee for lawyers in Abdeen and Qasr El-Nil, told Nour, "I wanted to welcome you back but instead I say welcome back to our big prison. I might differ from you in opinion but I will sacrifice my life and freedom for you to express your opinion. "So I say to the judicial watchdog, beware, you will find the Lawyers' Syndicate a red line you will not cross, Suleiman added. A statement released by Al-Ghad on the decision indicated surprise at the timing, and attributed it to the tour Nour made to speak at various syndicate branches in the governorates after he was released from prison a month ago. The party also expressed astonishment that news of his removal was published in Rose El-Youssef newspaper a day before the decision was made official. "Al-Ghad party will continue the political and legal battle for reform and change and to remove such legislative disfigurements that the regime utilizes to achieve its political and party goals, the statement said. Nour was sentenced to four years imprisonment in 2005 on charges of forgery in garnering party signatures months after he had run as a candidate in the presidential elections of that year. "If this decision stays, then I swear I will open a flowers kiosk in Tahrir Square, we will not accept this pressure. It will be the best the flower kiosk in Egypt, I will not give up, Nour said.
