Tunesia, Egyt and now Yemen: a domino effect in the Middle East?

An Obama administration official says the US will review its $1.5bn in aid to Egypt based on events unfolding in the country, where the authoritarian government is struggling to extinguish huge and growing street protests.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the situation. Egypt has been a key US ally in the volatile region. US officials are now increasing calls on President Hosni Mubarak, the target of the protesters, to respond with restraint and reverse steps taken to cut off the protesters' ability to communicate.

The decision to review assistance to Egypt is a significant step as the US seeks to balance the desire to maintain stability in the region with a recognition of the unexpected scope and uncertain outcome of the protests.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is a comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Protests in Egypt and Global Internet Freedom:
"I join President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton in voicing strong support for the fundamental right of freedom of expression and assembly for the Egyptian people, and in urging the Egyptian Government not to block access to internet communications, including online social media. As the situation in Egypt continues to unfold, I urge all parties to refrain from using violence.
"The internet – a product of American innovation – is a vital tool for communicating and sharing information and for ensuring the rights and basic freedoms of people everywhere. A free and open internet is essential to ensuring the universal rights of the people of Egypt, and of all peoples, to freedom of expression, confidence in the rule of law, and government that is transparent and accountable to the citizens.
"The Egyptian Government has long received military supplies and assistance from the United States, which creates another level of concern for Americans as we watch what seem to be the largely peaceful protests in that country. United States laws specifically prescribe the uses of such assistance. I call on the Egyptian authorities to ensure that the rights and well being of civilian protestors are respected and protected. The misuse of force, with or without U.S. supplied ordnance, would threaten the safety of civilians and draw the condemnation of a watching world."
SOURCE Office of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy

Egypt opposition party calls for interim gov't
Published: 01.28.11, 21:25 / Israel News

Egypt needs a period of transitional rule, new parliamentary elections and amendments to the constitution so a president can stand for only two six-year terms, the head of the opposition Wafd party said on Friday.

His comments, made in a televised statement, follow a day of violent protest calling for an end to the rule of President Hosni Mubarak, 82, in power for five consecutive six-year terms. The army has been deployed in Cairo and other cities. (Reuters)

From the AP

Quote:

An Obama administration official says the US will review its $1.5bn in aid to Egypt based on events unfolding in the country, where the authoritarian government is struggling to extinguish huge and growing street protests.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the situation. Egypt has been a key US ally in the volatile region. US officials are now increasing calls on President Hosni Mubarak, the target of the protesters, to respond with restraint and reverse steps taken to cut off the protesters' ability to communicate.

The decision to review assistance to Egypt is a significant step as the US seeks to balance the desire to maintain stability in the region with a recognition of the unexpected scope and uncertain outcome of the protests.

CNN's Ben Wedeman – who has been doing an excellent job all day – is asked why things have calmed down in Ciaro. "Jim, things have calmed down because there is no government here," saying that police and army had disappeared.

Is something about to happen?

7.49pm GMT:The White House press briefing room is full of journalists awaiting the press conference that is about to be held. It's being said that the US government doesn't want to be pre-empted by a TV appearance by President Mubarak on Egyptian television.

My guess is that if Mubarak hasn't appeared on television by now then he's not going to tonight, except in extreme circumstances.

But this was the most eye-catching quote from the unidentified minister:

"I'm not sure the time is right for the Arab region to go through the democratic process."

Wow, the speed of these developments is overwhelming.

KEY POINTS — (C) Egypt's bloggers are playing an increasingly important role in broadening the scope of acceptable political and social discourse, and self-expression.

-- (C) Bloggers' discussions of sensitive issues, such as sexual harassment, sectarian tension and the military, represent a significant change from five years ago, and have influenced society and the media.

-- (C) The role of bloggers as a cohesive activist movement has largely disappeared, due to a more restrictive political climate, GOE counter-measures, and tensions among bloggers.

-- (C) However, individual bloggers have continued to work to expose problems such as police brutality and corporate malfeasance.[... ... ...]

28 January 2011 Last updated at 20:39 GMT

Egypt protests: Curfew in cities as army deployed

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds, who responded by attacking police vehicles

Egypt has extended its curfew to all cities as anti-government demonstrators in Cairo besiege key buildings, including the foreign ministry and the state broadcaster.

The headquarters of the governing NDP party has been set ablaze.

President Hosni Mubarak, facing the biggest challenge to his authority of his 31 years in power, has ordered the army onto the streets of Cairo.

Earlier, it was announced he would make a statement, but he is yet to appear.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said: "Every minute that goes by without the president making that address to the nation makes him look weaker and will convince people he is losing his grip." .... <cont>

Police brutality in Egypt is "routine and pervasive" and the use of torture so widespread that the Egyptian government has stopped denying it exists, according to leaked cables released today by WikiLeaks.

The batch of US embassy cables paint a despairing portrait of a police force and security service in Egypt wholly out of control. They suggest torture is routinely used against ordinary criminals, Islamist detainees, opposition activists and bloggers.

"The police use brutal methods mostly against common criminals to extract confessions, but also against demonstrators, certain political prisoners and unfortunate bystanders. One human rights lawyer told us there is evidence of torture in Egypt dating back to the time of the pharoahs. NGO contacts estimate there are literally hundreds of torture incidents every day in Cairo police stations alone," one cable said.

Under Hosni Mubarak's presidency there had been "no serious effort to transform the police from an instrument of regime power into a public service institution", it said. The police's ubiquitous use of force had pervaded Egyptian culture to such an extent that one popular TV soap opera recently featured a police detective hero who beat up suspects to collect evidence.

Some middle-class Egyptians did not report thefts from their apartment blocks because they knew the police would immediately go and torture "all of the doormen", the cable added. It cited one source who said the police would use routinely electric shocks against suspected criminals, and would beat up human rights lawyers who enter police stations to defend their clients. Women detainees allegedly faced sexual abuse. Demoralised officers felt solving crimes justified brutal interrogation methods, with some believing that Islamic law also sanctioned torture, the cable said.

Another cable, from March 2009, said Egypt's bloggers were playing an "increasingly important role" in society and "in broadening the scope of acceptable political and social discourse". There had been a significant change over the past five years, it said, with bloggers able to discuss sensitive issues such as sexual harassment, sectarian tensions, the military and even abortion.

At the same time, a clampdown by the Egyptian government and other repressive measures meant bloggers were no longer a "cohesive activist movement". In 2009, an estimated 160,000 bloggers were active in Egypt, writing in Arabic and sometimes English. Most were 20-35 years old.

Bloggers now appear to be at the vanguard of this week's anti-Mubarak demonstrations, which led to the government switching off internet access. One woman had told the Americans, presciently, that the blogging community was bereft of "compelling and achievable political causes" but would play a crucial role "during the eventual succession".

The WikiLeaks cables also shed intriguing light on the US's staunch relationship with Egypt, its closest Arab ally. They show US diplomats concerned about the country's woeful human rights record and keen to promote an agenda of democratic reform and greater political pluralism. There appears to have been little progress on these goals.

"The internet – a product of American innovation – is a vital tool for communicating and sharing information and for ensuring the rights and basic freedoms of people everywhere. A free and open internet is essential to ensuring the universal rights of the people of Egypt, and of all peoples, to freedom of expression, confidence in the rule of law, and government that is transparent and accountable to the citizens.