Protesters call for tougher steps against Mubarak allies
Tens of thousands of Egyptians gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square Friday, issuing calls to "save the revolution" that ousted president Hosni Mubarak and to rid the country of followers of the old regime.
The Youth Coalition Movement, an umbrella grouping those who launched the uprising against Mubarak, called this week for a new demonstration to demand judgment of the corrupt and those who fired live rounds on protesters.
The young pro-democracy activists also want the country’s institutions purged of members of the former ruling National Democratic Party as well as the restitution of "the millions stolen from the people."
"I came because the military has been very slow in putting the people in the old regime on trial. Mubarak has not been charged with murder for the people who were killed," said Alaa Hashim, 28, an engineer, among protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square told Reuters.
Protesters chanted "The people want to purify the country" and "Marshal, Marshal, legitimacy stems from Tahrir," AFP reported.
They were referring to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces who is de facto head of state since 18 days of popular protests forced Mubarak to resign on Feb. 11.
Friday’s weekly Muslim prayers in Tahrir Square were attended by 15,000 people, according to state news agency MENA, but in the afternoon twice as many protesters thronged the central Cairo plaza.
Egyptian courts have forbidden several former ministers, politicians and businessmen from leaving the country, as well as freezing their assets pending the findings of an enquiry into corruption and embezzlement.
Mubarak and his family were bound by the same restrictions in February.
A legal representative for Mubarak has denied media reports the former president amassed enormous wealth in office, saying Mubarak submitted his final financial statement to the concerned judicial bodies as required by law.
Recovering frozen assets
A committee set up by Egypt’s military rulers that aims to recover frozen assets belonging to Mubarak and other leading officials, also bans three former top officials from leaving Egypt pending an investigation over the source of their wealth.
The decision applies to Fathi Sorour, the former speaker of the lower house of parliament, Safwat el-Sherif, a senior member of the ruling party and head of the upper house of parliament, and Zakaria Azmi, one of Mubarak’s senior aides.
An online group with 300,000 Web supporters called for the prosecution of those three figures, calling them "the trio of evil". It also calls for swift trials.
"The counter-revolution is attempting to abort our demands by claiming that with the mere fall of the president and the dissolution of parliament, the people’s demands have been accomplished," the online page read.
Many Egyptians are more concerned about the deterioration in law and order and disruption to their daily lives that they blame on the continued protests.
On Friday, some protested against constitutional amendments that included making it easier to run for president. They said the changes did not go far enough. One banner read: "Oh Supreme Council, the message has not arrived yet, we want a constitution we can trust."
Pro-democracy activists say they fear a return to the past and the "confiscation" of the revolution.
Some activists said they were also protesting over a proposed law they said curtailed freedom of expression.
The draft law, that imposes prison sentences and fines for some strike action, has been criticized by rights groups. Human Rights Watch said the draft law violates international laws on freedom of assembly and must be scrapped.
Ministers say the law is aimed at returning order to Egypt.
"The Supreme Council (of the Armed Forces) is arresting people for demonstrating, but not putting people on trial who stole millions," Ahmed al-Sherif, 45, a teacher of religious studies at al-Azhar, a prestigious seat of Sunni learning.