AILY EWS THURSDAY, FEBRUARYD 21, 2013 N ISSUE NO. 2132 NEWSTAND PRICE LE 4.00 EGYPT www.thedailynewsegypt.com Egypt’s Only Daily Independent Newspaper In English JOHN KERRY TO VISIT CAIRO GIVING ‘THE FUZZ’ A NEW MEANING A THEATRE GROUP EMPOWERING WOMEN Newly appointed state secretary’s Cairo Supreme Court rules in favour BuSSy offers theatrical accounts diplomacy tour of the Middle East of allowing police officers to grow of harassment and gender issues will include a stop in Cairo beards 2 3 in Egypt 8 NSF threaten Civil disobedience enters day four in Port election boycott Said, reaches Ismailia Elections not NSF priority at present and party will boycott Protesters block roads to eastern port and place balloons inscribed with SOS on the canal if its demands are not met By Nouran El-Behairy By Joel Gulhane The NSF called on President Mo- hamed Morsi and the Freedom and Civil disobedience in Port Said en- The National Salvation Front (NSF), Justice Party “to bear the responsi- tered its fourth day on Wednesday, Egypt’s largest opposition bloc, says bility for the economic and social de- rejecting the presidency’s attempts that it will boycott the upcoming par- terioration suffered by the country in to calm the unrest. liamentary elections if the “demands light of irresponsible intervention by The presidency had issued a of the nation” are not met. the group in all aspects of the state”. statement on Tuesday stating that The NSF held a meeting on Tuesday The statement highlighted the need President Mohamed Morsi submit- and published a statement which reiter- to “take serious measures to punish ted a new law proposal to the Shura ated the demands of the bloc and stated the killers of the martyrs all over the Council to re-launch Port Said’s free that it would not participate in elections country and appoint judges to investi- trade zone. unless these demands are addressed. gate all crimes of those responsible”. The statement added that Morsi Khaled Dawoud, spokesperson On Wednesday, NSF leader and decided to allocate EGP 400m of for the NSF, confirmed the plan to head of the Al-Dostour Party Mo- Suez Canal’s annual revenues to the boycott the elections. He added that hammed ElBaradei, through his development of the canal governor- the party’s “priority now is not the official Twitter account, called on ates of Suez, Ismailia and Port Said elections but to pressure the Muslim Morsi to “establish an independent and providing new jobs for their Brotherhood to make changes”. commission with full powers to in- residents. In Tuesday’s statement the NSF vestigate barbaric torture against Protesters refused to settle, block- outlined its demands, calling for a detainees”. He added that “inaction ing the road to the eastern port new prosecutor general, a politically is a crime”. Wednesday morning; the army at- neutral legal committee to review the He also said that Morsi’s regime tempted to convince protesters to constitution and the postponement “has lost legitimacy and will bear the open it but they continued to lie in the of elections until there are guarantees consequences. The people and the road blocking entrances to the port. of transparent polling with national world will not stand silent”. “The Eastern port is very impor- / Stringer AFP Photo and international observers. The NSF statement also voiced tant; it controls the containers traffic,” Egyptian protesters close the main road leading to the town of Port Fouad from Port Said city The statement demanded a non- the group’s support for the Al-Nour said Mahmoud Qandil, an accountant partisan government that can be Party’s initiative to solve the political and one of the protesters. the protests. ing against President Morsi and the nal; however navigation in the canal trusted by all parties to be “efficient, crisis. The Salafi party and the opposi- He added that protesters stopped As in the previous three days, Muslim Brotherhood. wasn’t affected, according to AFP. impartial and bear the responsibility tion bloc have met twice recently and buses carrying port workers from protesters marched to government Large balloons with SOS inscribed to solve the problems of the masses”. have agreed on a unified vision. passing and some workers joined facilities and industrial areas chant- on them stood facing the Suez Ca- Continued on page 2 Initiative to stop ‘crimes of the regime’ Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya forms “unarmed Human rights organisations call for sweeping action to crack down on recent wave of torture squads” to confront outlaws By Basil El-Dabh Al-Jamaa teams up with 13 other Islamists parties, pursues coordination with Ministry of Interior A group of 13 human rights organisa- By Rana Muhammad Taha members would be trained to face Al-Sherif stated that the mecha- tions presented a 10-point initiative violence peacefully, but they would nism was trialled during the party’s to stop the “crimes of the regime.” Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya is establishing be allowed to use tasers. “Usu- protest last Friday and proved to be The group highlighted in its state- “popular squads” responsible for ally such people, blocking roads a success. He added that Al-Jamaa ment that recent weeks have seen a confronting outlaws and resolving and breaking the law, are small in Al-Islamiya youth also succeeded sharp increase in violations by the road blockages peacefully. number and thus easy to control in convincing protesters to resolve Ministry of the Interior, especially of Khaled Al-Sherif, Building and De- and negotiate with,” Al-Sherif said. a railway blockage in Beni Suef last citizens detained in demonstrations velopment Party (BDP) spokesper- “Sometimes they are paid to exer- week. “It was done peacefully with- and public protests. “While some of son, said the “squads” would try to cise violence.” out any bloodshed,” Al-Sherif said. those crimes represent a continu- convince those blocking roads to end ation or return to a pattern of sys- the blockage in order to ease traffic tematic and widespread torture that congestion. The BDP is the political prevailed in the era of the former wing of Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya. Aswan: A city of charm regime, some even exceeded those “The squad members would in- crimes,” said the group. clude a variety of volunteers, not The statement criticised the presi- just members from Islamist move- dency and other government institutions ments,” Al-Sherif said. He said that for not strongly condemning atrocities 13 other Islamist parties, such as committed by the police and not seeking the Al-Fadila, Al-Asala, and Al-Shaab to hold perpetrators responsible. parties, are contributing to the “Repeated requests to open an in- squad. He added that they are try- vestigation into sexual assaults were ing to convince the Muslim Broth- ignored,” they added. erhood and the Al-Nour Party to The statement also expressed dis- page Mahalla 6 April Facebook join the squads. The squads are ex- appointment in the presidency’s lack Image from early February that shows political activist Mohamed Gamal pected to be active within weeks. of any official plans to restructure the bearing signs of what is claimed to be torture Al-Sherif denied that the squads Ministry of Interior or amend the Po- would be armed. “Our motto is to lice Act, and actually pushing for more the present day. The group also called They also called on the govern- fight violence using law,” he said. He police powers as demonstrated in the for the immediate investigation into ment to withdraw the current draft stated that the squads would be le- current draft protest law. leaders and members of the Muslim protest law and form an independent gal as they are pursuing collabora- The first point of the group’s ini- Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice committee to carry out investigations tion with the Ministry of Interior. tiative called for the dismissal of the Party (FJP) for the detention and tor- of the deaths and injuries that occur The squads would negotiate with interior minister and his referral to ture of citizens during clashes at the by the hands of the police. outlaws or those blocking the roads investigation for the killing of protest- presidential palace at the beginning of and convince them to end their ers from 25 January of this year up to last December. Continued on page 3 actions, Al-Sherif said. 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