The Egyptian authorities should scrap a draft law aimed at criminalising strikes and protests, Amnesty International has said ahead of demonstrations against the law set for Friday 1 April 2011.
“Any move to curb freedom of assembly and the right to strike in Egypt would be an alarming step backwards and an insult to those who risked - and lost - their lives calling for change over the past two months," declared the global human rights organisation.
"It is vital in this transitional period that the Egyptian authorities guarantee basic human rights such as the right to carry out peaceful protests and strikes," the NGO added.
The Revolution’s Youth Coalition confirmed that it is proceeding with the “Save the Revolution Friday” millioneya. It has stressed that they plan to conduct it between 11am till 5pm and have no intention of extending it, and request all participants to adhere to that. It’s theme will be, “We want our rights; our money and our blood” – in reference to expediting prosecuting those responsible for killing the revolution’s martyrs and to expedite prosecuting those who looted Egypt’s fortunes and to work on retrieving those billions from abroad.
There are certainly many unanswered questions: Why is it taking so long to bring to justice the bulwarks of the old regime? Just today they limited Azmy, Sorour and Safwat from traveling? On the other hand the detained protestors are subjected to military trials! Why are the icons of the regime’s propaganda machine still in their positions, in the state run newspapers and the Radio and Television Union? Why are the martyr’s killers still not behind bars? Who is behind attempts to ignite religious friction. Why did the State Security only get a name change? That’s plenty enough to get suspicious about and enough for some to be sure that the regime is still very much in control.
All of yesterday’s developments, perhaps done to take the steam out of Friday’s protest, have been placed in context by a press conference by the Revolution’s Youth Coalition conducted today at 11 am. The constitutional announcement retained obvious deficiencies in the original constitution, like the absolute powers of the president. And it criticized yesterday’s ‘National Reform’ due to the short notice, the ambiguity surrounding the selection of its members, the unclear agenda and the presence of members of the National Democratic Party within the members.
They further criticized the Sharaf government for stalling necessary reforms, for condoning abuses by the Military Police, for issuing the anti-protest law and for indulging the ‘blackmail’ practiced by members of the police forces- in reference to threatening resignations when any of them are arrested for abuses.
The Revolution’s Youth Coalition finally stressed that the revolution started from the street and can only be completed from the street. Without constant pressure, the revolution risks losing ground to the old regime. They also called for an Egyptian role in supporting the neighboring Arab revolutions and for protecting the Libyan and Syrian people. Amen to that!
Go to Tahrir on Friday! Let’s wrap up this revolution!
Source: http://egyptiansdefiant.blogspot.com/2011/03/save-revolution-on-friday.html
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