Opponents of Military Rule to Stage Protests in Egypt

Egypt student rebellion at Al-Azhar University against the ongoing rule by the military. The incident took place on October 20, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Muslim Brotherhood to stage fresh protests Friday ahead of Morsi trial next week

Ahram Online, Thursday 31 Oct 2013

Islamist coalition in support of deposed president Mohamed Morsi, who faces trial starting Monday, vows ongoing protests demanding his reinstatement

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood will begin fresh protests starting Friday in preparation for the first court session in the trial of the ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on charges of inciting violence.

The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy (NASL) renewed the call for protests in a statement Thursday in support for Morsi who is due in court 4 November, which the NASL called "President's Perseverance Day."

Supporters of Morsi have been staging near daily demonstrations calling for his reinstatement since he was deposed by the military amid mass protests 3 July. Demonstrations have often resulted in clashes with security forces and residents against the Brotherhood.

This week's protests mark another test for the Muslim Brotherhood —whether they can keep a presence in the street as a means to pressure interim authorities. They also challenge an already fragile security situation as authorities strive to maintain order nationwide in the run up to Monday's court session.

If Morsi is present in court it would be his first public appearance since July. Since being deposed,Morsi has been kept at an undisclosed location, with no access to the media or his supporters.

In their statement, the NASL claimed Morsi, "the forcefully kidnapped legitimate president," is being "deprived of his legal rights." Morsi has refused to recognise the court, declining to delegate lawyers to defend him on incitement to murder allegations.

The NASL intends to stage a week of protests, including showing up in front of the court on Monday, and for supporters to protest in front of Egyptian embassies and consulates worldwide.

Interim authorities have cracked down on Islamists since July, detaining large numbers of Muslim Brotherhood supporters, including top leaders, mainly on charges of inciting violence and being part of the now "illegal group."

The MThe success of any political solution is linked to putting an end to support funnelled to terrorist groups."uslim Brotherhood was banned by court order in September. The groups assets were also frozen.

In a show of defiance, the NASL statement asserted, "We will not relent or settle."

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Brotherhood's El-Erian detained for 30 days

Ahram Online, Wednesday 30 Oct 2013

Freedom and Justice Party VP Essam El-Erian to be held for 30 days after being arrested in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement suburb on Wednesday morning

Prosecutors have ordered the detention of Essam El-Erian for 30 days pending investigations into charges of instigating street clashes.

The vice president of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party will be held for 15 days over clashes between local residents and supporters of Mohamed Morsi in Giza's Bayn Al-Sarayat district in July, and for 15 days over clashes near Giza's Al-Istiqama Mosque in August.

He denies the charges.

Security forces arrested El-Erianat a flat in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement suburb in the early hours of Wednesday after receiving a tip off.

Pictures of the arrest, published on the interior ministry’s social networking pages, show El-Erian smiling to the cameras.

During his time in hiding, he pre-recorded a number of video messages that were broadcast on Al Jazeera.

The most notable of these messages was directed at the country’s interim government or what El-Erian described as ‘coup leaders’, demanding they recognise their "mistakes" and “confess that they’ve sided with one particular faction against another.”

In September, he was chargedin absentiafor his alleged involvement in clashes in Giza's Al-Bahr Al-Azam district in July.

He also faces separate charges of inciting the murder of protesters on several other occasions, including at the Ittihadiya presidential palace in December 2012 and at the Brotherhood headquarters in June 2013. A number of other Brotherhood leaders are being investigated on the same charges.

El-Erian was one of the few high-ranking Brotherhood members to remain at large after most, including Mohamed Morsi, had been arrested.

The Brotherhood, which was registered as an NGO, was banned on 23 September.

A case to dissolve the FJP is currently being reviewed after the State Commissioners Authority, a body that provides non-binding legal advice, recommended its disbandment.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/85102.aspx


Egypt tightens security measures ahead of protests, Morsi trial

AP, Thursday 31 Oct 2013

Attempts to compromise ousted president Mohamed Morsi's trial on 4 November will be met 'decisively with force,' interior ministry official warns

Some 20,000 police officers and soldiers will guard the upcoming trial of Egypt's toppled president, an official said Thursday, as Islamist opponents plan massive protests that may spark more turmoil in the country.

An interior ministry official warned that any protesters attempting to break into the courtroom where ousted president Mohamed Morsi will be tried will be met "decisively with force."

The stark warning came as a Muslim Brotherhood-led coalition called Thursday for mass demonstrations across the country starting Friday until 4 November, set as the opening day of Morsi's trial.

Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader, faces charges of inciting murder and violence in connection to deadly clashes presidential palace in December. He's been held at an undisclosed location since his ouster in July, following mass protests calling for his step-down.

It is not yet clear if the 62-year-old Morsi will appear in court, though the interior ministry official said that the ousted president will be flown by helicopter to the court. The trial will be held inside a police institute near the Torah prison complex in southern Cairo, where most of the group's arrested leaders are held, the official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorised to speak publicly about security arrangements for Morsi's trial.

It's not clear whether Morsi will return to the undisclosed location or join other detained Muslim Brotherhood members in Tora prison.

Some fear the trial will mark a new cycle of turmoil in Egypt. In a statement, the Muslim Brotherhood-led coalition described the trial as "illusionary" and said it would hold authorities responsible for any "harm" that comes to Morsi.

"We have seen in the era of the coup those committing the crime are the ones who are presenting President Mohammed Morsi to be tried," the statement read.

Morsi's trial is part of efforts by the interim government to break the Muslim Brotherhood. Nearly 2,000 Muslim Brotherhood members have been arrested since Morsi's ouster, while top leaders face criminal charges. Meanwhile, authorities are pushing to quickly amend the country's constitution and hold parliamentary and presidential elections by early next year to cement their legitimacy.

Egyptians already have seen former President Hosni Mubarak — overthrown in popular uprising in 2011 — on trial.

The security crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood saw security forces violently clear protest camps in Cairo, leaving hundreds dead and sparking weeks of unrest.

Many fear that the violence will start again as Morsi goes on trial, especially with the heavy security cordon planned and the possibility of protesters clashing with police.

The interior ministry official said that security forces will be deployed on the streets starting Saturday, two days before the trial. He said they will close all entrances to the trial site, while "combat teams" will be on rooftops surrounding Torah prison "to abort any plots by the Muslim Brotherhood to foil the trial."

During Egypt's 18-day uprising in 2011, protesters accused police of shooting at them from rooftops.

"Any attempt to smuggle prisoners, storm the courtroom or get near Torah prisons ... will be dealt with decisively, with force and by law," he said.

The story has been edited by Ahram Online

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