CAIRO: Prominent Egyptian politician Ayman Nour spoke yesterday at a solidarity demonstration organized by his supporters in downtown Cairo. The demonstration took place outside the headquarters of Nour's al-Ghad al-Thawra Party in Talaat Harb Square. Nour said his protest against the concept of political isolation is not personal but is a topic of interest to all citizens. Nour said the ruling that prevents him from running for president seems to indicate that Egypt's justice system is still unjust to those who stood up against the corruption of the former regime. The fact that he cannot run while ousted President Hosni Mubarak can still legally run proves that the former regime has not lost its influence, he said. In October, the Cairo Court of Cassation rejected an appeal by Nour to retry the 2006 forgery case that saw Nour sentenced to five years in prison on charges many believe were trumped-up to punish Nour for running against Mubarak in the 2005 presidential elections. The court's decision to reject the appeal means the original guilty conviction holds. Forgery is considered a crime of dishonor in Egypt, and the penal code prevents anyone convicted of a crime of dishonor from holding any public office or heading a political party, assembly or syndicate for five years from the end of their sentence. This means Nour would not be allowed to participate in politics until 2016. Nour thanked all those who took part in the solidarity demonstration, saying it proves that Egyptians can come together to face adversity. Nour called for the intervention of the military council to rule him not guilty as long as the judiciary knows he is innocent, pointing out that Egypt is living out a period more difficult than when Mubarak was in power. Among the attendees of the event was popular public figure and television presenter Gameela Ismail, who said, “We don't want a pardon for Nour, we want his innocence declared.” Bothaina Kamel, another television presenter and the only woman to announce her candidacy for Egypt's presidential elections, was also in attendance, as were members of Amr Moussa's presidential campaign, the ‘We are all Mina Daniel' movement and many others.
