List of demands by protestors including the end to the state of emergency
Egypt has suffered under the continuous State of Emergency Law since 1980 when it was brought in after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. And so the news that Field Marshal Tantawi announced he would “end the state of emergency starting on the morning of January 25, 2012″ sounded as if it was another step in the right direction for Egypt’s transition to a functioning democracy.
Under Egypt’s state of emergency, Hosni Mubarak was able to extend the powers of the police, suspend the constitutional rights of Egyptian citizens, block any non-governmental political activity and legalise censorship. This period of emergency law thus contributed to the detainment of 30,000 political prisoners who the state was able to hold indefinitely without trial as well as contributing to Mubarak’s ability to maintain authoritarian control over the state and impede the development of the political sphere.
It therefore came as no surprise to many that one of the key demands of the Egyptian opposition and revolutionary movements, from the outset of the uprising, was the end to the state of emergency. Under immense public pressure, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and Tantawi, as its head, promised to end emergency rule back in February 2011 but then reneged on its promise 6 months later by expanding the remit of the law.
With large demonstrations and increasing public anger at the ongoing failure for power to be transferred to a civilian government, SCAF has had to act. However, when Tantawi proceeded to say that emergency law would still apply in cases of “thuggery”, it became clear to see that Egypt’s path to democracy remains a rocky one. With no clear definition of what “thuggery” entails and no definitive end to emergency rule in its entirety, peaceful yet politically active Egyptians remain vulnerable to the draconian laws of the leader they managed to begin to oust a year ago today.
The power the military, and in particular Tantawi, continue to hold onto remains a significant issue amongst the new generation of elected MP’s with Abul Ezz el-Hariri of the Revolution Continues coalition stating “the head of the SCAF should be in prison now.”As one of the most powerful arms of the state, the military was instrumental in propping up Mubarak’s dictatorship with Tantawi being infamous for being Mubarak’s loyal defence minister for 20 years. The military issue seems unlikely to be resolved in the immediate future with presidential elections unlikely to be held before June and the constitution yet to be rewritten although the military has promised to return to its barracks once a president is elected. Given the military’s past record when it comes to promises, this remains to be seen.
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