By Emily Schneider
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Egyptian President Mohamad Morsi is still under attack for granting himself sweeping powers as protests continue. Now, the opposition has refused to open a dialogue with him.

President Morsi invited all major political factions to meet Saturday to begin talks regarding the Presidential decree reducing the Judiciary’s power. In that decree, issued on 22 November, President Morsi stripped the Judiciary of any power to challenge his decisions until the new constitution is ratified. Since then, Egypt has been in political turmoil.

This past Thursday, President Morsi refused to withdraw his new powers and delay a referendum on the draft constitution. Instead, President Morsi confirmed that the referendum on a new constitution will go ahead as planned, on the  December 15. He says that if the constitution is  voted down at that time, another constituent assembly will be formed to write a new draft.

The current draft, drawn up by a body dominated by Morsi-supporting Islamists, did not receive a proper review by parliament, according to critics. Opposition to the current draft point out that it may not give enough protection to political and religious freedoms and dos not protect the rights of women.

The main opposition movement, the National Salvation Front, said on Friday it would not take part in Saturday’s talks.

“The National Salvation Front is not taking part in the dialogue, that is the official stance,” spokesman Ahmed Said confirmed in a statement.Nobel prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, the movement’s chief coordinator, posted a message on his Twitter account calling on political groups to not participate in any dialogues with President Morsi. He said,  “we [want] a dialogue not based on an arm-twisting policy and imposing fait accompli,” in his message on Twitter.

Other opposition groups, the liberal Wafd party and the National Association for Change, also claimed they are boycotting the talks.

The April 6 movement, an activist group that played a major role in last year’s revolt against former President Hosni Mubarak, said on its Facebook page that protests on Friday would deliver a “red card” to Mr Morsi.

Protests have taken place in Egypt since Morsi’s decree and the constitution draft has caused tension to heighten and divisions to widen. New clashes have been reported on Friday between supporters and opponents of President Morsi outside a mosque in the city of Alexandria.

US President Barack Obama called President Morsi to express his “deep concern” over the recent violent protests, the White House said. Although President Obama welcomed Mr Morsi’s call for talks, he stressed they should be “without preconditions.”

For more information, please see: 

Al Jazeera – Egypt Opposition Rejects Morsi Dialogue Offer – 7 Dec. 2012

BBC – Egypt Opposition Rejects President Morsi’s Call for Talks – 7 Dec. 2012

CNN – Opposition Demonstrators again Gather to Challegen Egypt’s Morsy – 7 Dec. 2012

USA Today – Egypt Opposition Calls for More Protests – 7 Dec. 2012

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain – Earlier this week, American celebrity Kim Kardashian arrived in Bahrain to promote the new Middle Eastern franchises of the Millions of Milkshakes chain. Her visit to Bahrain brought delight to Sheikh Khalifa and his regime, anger to hardcore Islamists, and mixed emotions to many human rights activists.

Bahrain’s human rights report card has been far from stellar over the past couple of years. The regime’s security forces have tear-gassed and killed protesters, detained and tortured demonstrators, tortured and jailed medics who helped the demonstrators, and its government has changed the law to curtail freedom of expression and has revoked the citizenship of individuals.

Many human rights activists like Maryam Al-Khawaja were hoping that Kim Kardashian would actively use her presence in Bahrain to shed light on the human rights tragedies that were taking place within the country. Such people would ultimately be disappointed as Kardashian, or at least her twitter personality, would be used as a propaganda tool of the regime.

Instead of highlighting injustice, she documented her encounter with camels in the desert and her glass of camel milk. She also tweeted, “I just got to Bahrain today. This place is incredible! Prettiest place on earth!” which was re-Tweeted by Bahrain’s foreign minister.

Furthermore, she Tweeted, “Thanks Sheikh Khalifa for your amazing hospitality. I’m in love with The Kingdom of Bahrain.”

Tweets like these upset the likes of the Washington Post’s Foreign Policy analyst March Lynch who believes that, “Kardashian’s visit generates positive publicity for a Bahraini regime which carried out an unspeakably brutal crackdown last year, continues a fierce campaign of repression and has been utterly unrepentant.”

In the end, however, Kardashian’s visit would expose some of the human rights violations that take place in Bahrain. Upon her arrival to the country, fifty hardcore Islamists were waiting for her, carrying signs like “God is Great.” These protesters denounced her presence stating that she had a “bad reputation” and believed that “it is not part of Bahraini culture and traditions to receive [a] reality star.”

These protesters were dispersed by teargas fired by riot police which has become a normal practice when individuals gather to demonstrate.

Kim Kardashian may not have intended to take part in the revealing of the Bahraini regime’s human rights abuses, but her notoriety turned the tear-gassing of the Islamic hardliners into a newsworthy event. For this reason, human rights activists can be happy that Kardashian visited Bahrain.

For further information, please see:

Avaaz Daily Briefing – Kim Kardashian Sheikhs Things up in Bahrain – 5 December 2012

Washington Post – Why People are so Upset About Kim Kardashian’s odd Visit to Bahrain – 3 December 2012

Al Arabiya – ‘Prettiest Place on Earth’: Kim Kardashian in Love with Bahrain – 2 December 2012

Guardian – Bahrain Police Deploy Teargas at Anti-Kim Kardashian Protest – 1 December 2012

 

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — The Health Ministry reported that at least 4 people were killed, and 350 people were injured in Cairo as supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi clashed near the presidential palace last Tuesday.

It is reported that pro-Morsi demonstrators tried to break up an opposition sit-in.  The leaders of the opposition accused the Muslim Brotherhood of creating violence.  Fighting continued between the two parties into Thursday morning, as both sides threw stones and Molotov cocktails at each other.  Pro-Morsi supporters ransacked tents erected by the opposition in front of the palace last Tuesday, claiming that they found drugs and alcohol within them.  Witnesses claim that they saw Morsi supporters throw stones and use clubs to attack anti-Morsi demonstrators.  The Interior Ministry claims that thirty-two people were arrested.  Protests spread throughout Egypt as the offices of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in Ismalia and Suez were torched.  Morsi’s opponents were heard chanting “no to dictatorship,” while their rivals responded with “defending Morsi is defending Islam.”

Because of the crisis, three members of the Presidential Advisory Council, Seif Abdel Fattah, Ayman Al-Sayyad, and Amr Al-Leithy, announced their resignation.  Dr. Ahmed El-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of the powerful Al-Azhar Mosque, called for Egyptians to engage in dialogue.

Earlier on Wednesday, Vice President Mahmoud Mekky said that the constitutional referendum is still scheduled for December 15, but that the “door for dialogue” remained open, suggesting that it would still be possible to make changes to the document after it is voted in.  In a press conference last Wednesday, Mekki urged for consensus, saying that opposition demands must be respected to overcome the crisis.

Opposition leader Amr Moussa, a former foreign minister and Secretary-General of the Arab League said that Morsi must make a formal offer for dialogue if his opponents were to take Mekki’s requests seriously.  “We are ready when there is something formal, something expressed in definite terms, we will not ignore it,” said Moussa in a press conference held last Wednesday night with pro-opposition leaders Mohamed El-Baradei and Hamdeen Sabbahi.  The three men blamed Morsi for the violence that occurred in front of the presidential palace.  “He has lost the moral legitimacy to lead Egypt,” said Sabbahi.

The Muslim Brotherhood, however, believe that the opposition leaders are to blame for the violence.  “It’s very sad to see opposition leaders such as El-Baradei, Hamdeen, and Amr Moussa to resort to such levels of talk, said Gehad El-Haddad Senior Advisor to the Freedom and Justice Party, in an interview with Al Jazeera.  “Such disrespect to the sanctity of peaceful protesting, within the context of democracy is very alarming.”

For further information, please see:

Al Arabiya — At Least one Killed as Anti-Mursi Protests Flare Outside Cairo’s Presidential Palace — 5 December 2012

Al Jazeera — Several Killed in Egypt Clashes — 5 December 2012

BBC News — Egypt Crisis: Fatal Cairo Clashes Amid Constituion row — 5 December 2012

Daily News Egypt — Egypt Crisis Escalates — 5 December 2012

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — Last Monday, the head of the Judge’s Club, an unofficial body who represents the judges of Egypt, urged its members to boycott overseeing the referendum of a draft constitution, which is scheduled for December 15, due to a standoff between the president and the judiciary.

The boycott is a response to one of President Mohamed Morsi’s constitutional declarations, which temporarily strips judges of their ability to overturn presidential decisions or to dissolve the Constituent Assembly.  The draft constitution and recent power decrees by Morsi has been met with widespread protests, as protesters returned to Tahrir Square in Cairo, where calls to oust former President Hosni Mubarak occurred a year ago, to voice their dissent.  Egypt’s judges are considered to be the strongest critics to Morsi’s recent decisions.

Judge Zakaria Shalash, head of the Cairo Appeal Court, expects a majority of judges to side with the Judge’s Club in its boycott.  Shalash believes that if, during the process of the boycott, lawyers or law professors are called on to take the place of  boycotting judges, then the referendum will be deemed invalid.  Ahmed Yehia Ismail, head of the South Cairo Criminal Court, disagrees.  Ismail believes that a majority of the judges will take part in overseeing the referendum due to their ethical and professional responsibilities.

Malek Adly, a lawyer at the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, said that lawyers do not have the right to oversee the referendum, calling it illegal.  “It is illegal because the judges, not lawyers, not professors, nor any other group, need to be the observers according to the law and the constitution.”  Adly also said that it is expected by the international community that the referendum would be overseen by judges.  Ibrahim Elnur, a professor of Political Science at the American University in Cairo, does not think this will be an option.  “All of the professors have different political opinions.  They cannot replace the judiciary; they are a completely different category.”

Earlier on Sunday, Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court decided to shelve its work indefinitely after Morsi’s supporters prevented judges from convening.  In determining the legality of Morsi’s constitutional decree, the court planned to make a ruling over whether to dissolve the upper house of Parliament and the constituent assembly.  A new date for the ruling has yet to be set.

Morsi is accused of usurping sweeping powers and pushing the Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda.  The secular opposition promises to stage a civil disobedience campaign against the vote, and with judges divided on boycotting the referendum, it is unsure what their level of participation will be.

For further information, please see:

Ahram Online — Judges, Legal Experts Weigh up Scenarios Ahead of Constitutional Referendum — 3 December 2012

Al Jazeera — Egypt Judges Reject Role in Constitutional Vote — 3 December 2012

BBC News — Egypt Judges ‘to Oversee Referendum’ Despite Boycott — 3 December 2012

Daily News Egypt — Judges Club Will not Observe the Referendum — 3 December 2012