Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Ayman Nour charged with forgery
So much for Bush's egyptian democracy victory. The only person to set up to challenge Hosni Mubarak has been charged with election fraud. You can have multi-party elections but no one else is allowed to run. Kinda spoils the democracy thing.
Jax
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - The only man who has dared to challenge Hosni Mubarak for the presidency was charged Tuesday with forging signatures to win approval for his party - an escalation in the government's confrontation with the most prominent figure in Egypt's fledgling reform movement.
Ayman Nour said he relished a court fight he maintained would give him a platform for his campaign and his criticism of Mubarak's regime.
``I'm personally the happiest person in Egypt by this decision, because every session of this trial will be a chance to meet our people and supporters,'' he told The Associated Press. ``The regime will stand trial in this court. ``
Prosecutors accused Nour of forging signatures required for the registration application of his Al-Ghad - or ``Tomorrow'' - party. The 40-year-old politician denies the charges, saying they are an attempt to wreck him politically.
Nour was arrested in January and detained for six weeks without charge - sparking tensions between Egypt and the United States, which demanded his release. The dispute came at a time when Washington was pressing Egypt to lead democratic reform in the Middle East.
After Mubarak opened the door for multi-party elections last month, Nour announced from jail his bid to run in the September presidential election, then repeated it last week in front of hundreds of cheering supporters after his release from custody.
He had been one of many calling for open elections, but the arrest put the savvy populist at the center of the increasingly vocal democratic movement in Egypt.
``We will continue to fight this dictatorship,'' said Nour, who maintains people planted by the government forged the papers to frame him. He vowed to expose them in court - and to expose those who ``forged the will of the nation'' during the past half century of elections in Egypt.
``We will call into this trial all the symbols and officials of those forged referendums and put them into the court to testify,'' Nour said, adding that his defense team would seek testimony from previous interior ministers who helped run elections.
If he is convicted, Nour would lose his right to run for office and could face a prison term of up to 15 years - though the right would be restored if he successfully appealed any guilty verdict. No date for a trial has been set, and the process of trials and appeals could take years.
So far, Nour is the only person to announce a run for the presidency and is considered a long-shot, since Mubarak's government controls the media and the elected bodies that endorse candidates. (Link)
