Democracy is on trial in Egypt

Democracy is on trial in Egypt

By KHALED A. BEYDOUN

There are two momentous trials going on in Egypt.

One is of the former President Hosni Mubarak. The other is the trial that is taking place in the very locale where the Egyptian revolution was birthed, and it is pitting the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces against the Tahrir Square protesters.

This latter trial may prove more pivotal for Egypt's future.

For months after the fall of the Mubarak regime, Tahrir Square evolved into far more than simply the symbol of the revolution. Tahrir galvanized every sector of Egyptian life, particularly those marginalized from the political structures and processes that arose after Mubarak's resignation on Feb. 11. The square embodied the ideal that every citizen could participate in the rebuilding and reformation process of the Arab world's most populous nation.

Tahrir Square gave the power back to the people - for the first time in the country's rich history. In addition, the public forum offered Egyptians with an opportunity to exercise an unprecedented level of free speech and organizing. Tahrir offered a microcosm of what a democratic and pluralistic Egypt could look like.

This all has changed, however, in recent weeks.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, led by Field Marshal and Mubarak appointee Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, began cracking down on the protesters in Tahrir in July. In August, the security forces formed a periphery around the square and restricted protesters and even onlookers from accessing specific areas of Tahrir. Egyptian blogger Sarrah Abdulrahman, who runs the popular Twitter feed "Sarrahsworld," stated that the current regime's "police were just as aggressive and intimidating as the officers under Mubarak."

Even before police troops were deployed back onto Tahrir, the army chilled the activism and speech of protesters by slapping them with subpoenas to appear before military courts. Demonstrators tried in military tribunals were not afforded due process, and the proceedings were anything but transparent.

On Sept. 9, hundreds of activists returned to Tahrir calling upon the government and the Egyptian armed forces to provide a clear roadmap toward democracy and the end of military trials. Representatives from more than 30 groups and political parties attended the protest.

Against the wishes of the protesters, the regime is also trying to codify a provision in the forthcoming Egyptian Constitution granting the military ruling power during "times of crisis" - an ambiguity that would provide the armed forces with a legal mechanism to intervene almost at will.

If these repressive steps reflect the intentions of the Supreme Council, then the people of Tahrir will face an extremely challenging trial in the weeks and months ahead.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/19/3921230/democracy-is-on-trial-in-egypt.html

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