EGYPT: Activist has sharp words upon release from jail

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Although he steered clear of inflammatory criticism, newly released political dissident Ayman Nour, in his first appearance at his party’s headquarters after three years in prison, resorted to satirical symbolism to mock President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling regime.

Recounting humorous jail-house anecdotes, Nour mentioned that when he was freed Wednesday he tried to switch on his cellphone, but the dormant battery failed him: “The battery of my mobile phone caught arteriosclerosis after only [three] years in prison, not 80; however, there is stuff that may stay for 80 years without catching any arteriosclerosis,” Nour told reporters with a cunning smile on his face. The comment was a clear reference to the incumbent 80-year-old president.

Nour was unexpectedly released for health reasons in a move that was interpreted by many observers as a goodwill gesture toward President Obama’s administration. In December 2005, Nour was convicted of forging signatures to secure an official recognition for his Ghad party. The conviction was widely dismissed as political to isolate a potential secular contender to Mubarak’s regime. Nour established himself as a force to be reckoned with after he had garnered half a million votes, coming in second to Mubarak in Egypt’s first presidential elections, held in September 2005. The imprisonment of Nour has elicited criticism from the United States and Europe.

“I did not go to jail because I stole a bank or made anybody drown. I know people who made 80 million people drown and did not get jailed for even an hour. I don’t understand why I was jailed,” said Nour in another clear reference to Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party, which the opposition blames for Egypt’s underdevelopment and corruption.

Surrounded by a large crowd of his supporters and reporters, Nour vowed to pursue his political struggle to build a strong party that can bring change. “We need new ideas and a new vision. It is impossible for a single party to keep talking to itself for 30 years; we dream of change,” added Nour, in reference to Mubarak’s ruling National Democratic Party.

“I did not come out of prison to have my revenge. I came out to pursue what I was jailed for and this is the most serious revenge,” added Nour.

However, his chances to pursue his activism remain uncertain. The Egyptian law does not allow felons to run for office, a challenge that Nour will have to deal with soon. “We have smart legal solutions to this issue, but I cannot put these solutions on the table now. We will present them in court.”

Opposition and human-rights activists voiced skepticism that the sudden release of the political dissident would imply any change in the regime’s oppressive style in dealing with opponents.

‘This decision is a concession made to one particular party, namely the U.S., and not made to the Egyptians,” said Bahi Eddin Hassan, director of the Egyptian Institute for Human Rights. “It won’t have any implications on the opposition or on issues of democracy and human rights. This decision does not imply any new page with Egyptians; it only implies a new page with the Americans. ‘

On the contrary, George Ishaq, a leading figure in the famous Kefaya movement, an opposition group that spearheaded the most outspoken criticism of Mubarak’s rule in recent years, expected the opposition to be dealt a serious blow this year ahead of the upcoming legislative and presidential elections scheduled for the years 2010 and 2011, respectively.

“The opposition will be brutally crushed this year because the regime wants to redeem the political scene from any opposition figures,” he said.

There is speculation that Mubarak’s son Gamal would run for president in the upcoming presidential contest despite staunch opposition.

—Noha El-Hennawy in Cairo