The campaign website is up now.
Press Release
Egyptians Against Mubarak*
Washington D.C. – 23/3/2007
‘Egyptians Against Mubarak’ group in Washington D.C. calls upon all expatriate Egyptians; students, professionals, NGOs, politicians, and defenders of democracy and Human Rights in USA to gather in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Washington D.C. on Monday 26 March 2007 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. to protest against the constitutional amendments put forth by Mubarak’s authoritarian regime, and against the referendum that will be held on these amendments on Monday.
The group is protesting against Mubarak’s repressive regime’s imposition of such amendments (the second of its kind in less than two years) in a unilateral and oppressive way. Mubarak’s regime, along with its puppet representatives in both the People’s Assembly and Shura Council, marathon-passed 34 constitutional amendments without responding to any of the demands of opposition parties and movements in Egypt. This escalation only aims at consolidating the power of this autocratic regime and curbing whatever little was left of political freedoms. Furthermore, the amendments come as a manifestation of Egyptian economic dependency on the United States.
Egyptian opposition groups and individuals have raised their voices in the past few years calling for amending the constitution to open the door for political parties establishment, limit presidential terms, abolish emergency laws, lift the state security’s iron-grip off citizens, give more political rights to women, Christian Copts, and all other religious and ethnic groups, stop privatization processes that are fraught with corruption and exploitation, and return ownership rights to farmers over their lands. Nevertheless, the regime did not respond to any of these demands. On the contrary, it rushed distorted amendments that will only benefit a minority of corrupt officials in power – be it members from the old guard of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), or members of the businessmen government who are also members of the NDP’s Policies Committee headed by Mubarak junior.
For example, articles 1 and 4 have been amended to transform the economic system of the Egyptian state into a market-led one. Economic restructuring programs spearheaded in Egypt by the World Bank and the IMF during the last 15 years have only succeeded in the rise of few businessmen or crony capitalists to power, and a significant increase in poverty, unemployment, as well as internal and external immigration of labor. On another front, the proposed constitutional amendments have added more restrictions on political freedoms for Egyptians: it did not remove any of the present restrictions on establishing political parties, it did not respond to any of the pressing demands put forth for women and Copts. It rather granted a freehand to security forces to execute more detentions, oppression, and systematic torture against political activists and citizens.
Unfortunately, the U.S. government that continuously preaches for democracy in the Middle East remained silent on all these constitutional amendments as they serve its own interests. This silence yet again reveals the insincerity of their claims on supporting democracy in the region, and their lack of genuine interest in real democracies in the Middle East. It further shows the U.S. perpetual propping up of authoritarian regimes that have been oppressing their citizens for decades.
Organizing Committee of the Demonstration in Washington D.C.
23/3/07
* Egyptians Against Mubarak is a group of Egyptian graduate students, fellows and interns in Washington D.C. coming from different political backgrounds. It has no relation to any other Egyptian organizations abroad.