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Monday, January 31, 2011

In Depth History of Egypt and Mubarak http://ping.fm/Rh6lp

In Depth History of Egypt and Mubarak

In Depth History of Egypt and Mubarak: "

Glenn Beck's Study Guide:
In Depth History of Egypt and Mubarak


1. Ban Ki-moon: World’s economic model is ‘environmental suicide’



http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/28/ban-ki-moon-economic-model-environment/print


2. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: DEMOCRACY LIKE A STREETCAR



http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/magazine/25turkey.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print


3. Sam Donaldson To Al-Jazeera: “Thank You For What You’re Doing”



http://www.mediaite.com/tv/sam-donaldson-to-al-jazeera-thank-you-for-what-youre-doing/


EGYPT / US STATS



  • Since 1979, Egypt has been the second-largest recipient, after Israel, of U.S. foreign assistance

  • The U.S. has given nearly $67 billion in economic and military aid to Egypt over the last 3 decades


GOOD SOTS & QUOTES



OBAMA Youtube town hall SOT, Jan 27



  • Egypt has been an ally of ours on a lot of critical issues. They made peace with Israel. President Mubarak has been very helpful on a range of tough issues in the Middle East. But I’ve always said to him that making sure that they are moving forward on reform — political reform, economic reform — is absolutely critical to the long-term well-being of Egypt.


VP BIDEN SOT (PBS, Jan 27)



  • Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things and he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interests in the region:
    Middle East peace efforts, the actions Egypt has taken relative to
    normalizing the relationship with Israel. And I think that it would be —
    I would not refer to him as a dictator.



VP BIDEN SOT (PBS, Jan 27)



  • JIM LEHRER: Some people are suggesting that we may be seeing
    the beginning of a kind of domino effect, similar to what happened
    after the Cold War
    in Eastern Europe. Poland came first, then Hungary, East Germany. We have got Tunisia, as you say, maybe Egypt, who knows. Do you smell the same thing coming?

  • JOE BIDEN: No, I don’t.


ELBARADEI SOT (CBS Face The Nation)



  • The American government cannot ask the Egyptian people to
    believe that a dictator who has been in power for 30 years will be the
    one to implement democracy…This is really a farce
    . I mean, people here could be poor, but they’re intelligent.”


HILLARY CLINTON (Fox News sunday)



  • We have been very clear that we want to see a transition to
    democracy. And we want to see the kind of steps taken that will bring
    that about.
    We also want to see an orderly transition,”


Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami Quote



  • All these protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Yemen are
    inspired by Iran’s Islamic revolution and these countries are de facto
    rocked by the aftershock of the Iranian revolution
    .”


http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/iran-cleric-mideast-unrest-replay-of-our-1979-islamic-revolution-1.339796 <http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/iran-cleric-mideast-unrest-replay-of-our-1979-islamic-revolution-1.339796>


Aluf Benn, Haaretz Newspaper Editor Quote



  • Jimmy Carter will go down in American history as “the president who lost Iran,” which during his term went from being a major strategic ally of the United States to being the revolutionary Islamic Republic. Barack
    Obama will be remembered as the president who “lost” Turkey, Lebanon
    and Egypt, and during whose tenure America’s alliances in the Middle
    East crumbled
    .


http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/obama-will-go-down-in-history-as-the-president-who-lost-egypt-1.340057 <http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/obama-will-go-down-in-history-as-the-president-who-lost-egypt-1.340057>


Pres Jimmy Carter Quote



  • “This is the most profound situation in the Middle East since I left
    office.” Mubarak — the man at the center of this storm — was vice
    president at the time the peace accord was signed and became president
    in 1981 when Sadat was assassinated. Carter, 86, called Sadat’s
    assassination “one of the worst days of my life.”


http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/01/31/1440918/former-president-carter-guesses.html##ixzz1Ccgoj6VR <http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/01/31/1440918/former-president-carter-guesses.html>


CURRENT MIDEAST UNREST



  • Algeria: Thousands have participated in protests over economic problems

  • Egypt: Largest anti-regime protests in at least several decades

  • Palestinian territories: Authorities weakened by massive leak of internal documents

  • Lebanon: Iranian-supported Hezbollah coalition unseated a Western-backed government

  • Jordan: Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks

  • Tunisia : The political turmoil in Egypt follows a
    month of demonstrations in Tunisia that culminated in the January 14,
    2011 ouster of longtime authoritarian president Zine el Abedine Ben Ali
    and inspired protests in other Arab states

  • Yemen: Large Protests have demanded the resignation
    of the long-serving and U.S.-backed president. On January 26, 2011,
    tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the government of
    President Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for nearly thirty-two
    years


1979 IRAN vs. EGYPT TODAY



A = 1979 IRANIAN REVOLUTION



  • 1963 – 1979, the Shah spent billions of oil dollars on military weapons. The real price of military strength was the loss of popular support. Unable to sustain economic progress and unwilling to expand democratic freedoms, the Shah’s regime collapsed in revolution. On January 16, 1979, the Shah fled Iran, never to return.


http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/documents/hostages.phtml



  • On January 16 1979, the Shah left Iran. Shapour
    Bakhtiar as his new prime minister with the help of Supreme Army
    Councils couldn’t control the situation in the country anymore
    .
    Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran on February 1. Ten days later
    Bakhtiar went into hiding, eventually to find exile in Paris. Processes
    against the supporters of the Shah started, and hundreds were executed.
    On April 1, after a landslide victory in a national referendum in which
    only one choice was offered (Islamic Republic: Yes or No), Ayatollah Khomeini declared an Islamic republic with a new Constitution <http://www.iranchamber.com/government/laws/constitution.php> reflecting his ideals of Islamic government.

  • http://www.iranchamber.com/history/islamic_revolution/islamic_revolution.php <http://www.iranchamber.com/history/islamic_revolution/islamic_revolution.php>

  • (KT McFarland) Once demonstrations started Carter quickly pulled the rug out from under the Shah. The Shah
    fell and a liberal pro-democracy became the government, but Carter sat
    on his hands and did not rush to assist them. Tragic mistake because
    that government was quickly and brutally pushe
    d aside by the ayatollahs, US embassy was seized and hostages taken and radical Islam was established in what was once our strongest ally in the region.

  • (Joel Rosenberg) The Shah had his many flaws, no question about it.
    But Carter’s actions helped trigger the Islamic Revolution and led to
    the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the loss of an American ally, and
    the rise of a terror-exporting country
    that has gained in lethality ever since. We dare not make the same mistakes with Egypt.


B = PROTESTS IN EGYPT



  • Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak overhauled his government on Monday to try to defuse a popular uprising against his 30-year rule but angry protesters rejected the changes and said he must surrender power.

  • The anger is driven largely by economic frustrations. Egypt has seen a dramatic rise in the cost of living in recent years. While the government has offered food subsidies to help people handle rising prices, many are struggling.


http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/31/egypt.protests.qanda/



  • Washington has long seen Mubarak as a bulwark in the Middle East, first against communism then against militant Islam.

  • 250,000 protesters, 120 deaths since Jan 24 rioting began. A
    coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to
    Cairo’s streets Tuesday (Feb 1) to demand the removal of President Hosni
    Mubarak,

  • That frustration was already on record in a report by Clinton’s
    ambassador to Egypt, Margaret Scobey, to Gen. David Petraeus in late
    2008 before his meeting with Mubarak. Petraeus was then chief of the
    U.S. military’s Central Command.”Mubarak now makes scant public
    pretense of advancing a vision for democratic change. An ongoing
    challenge remains balancing our security interests with our democracy
    promotion efforts



http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/30/2620922/analysis-for-us-egypt-crisis-recalls.html##ixzz1CcwXhAAR <http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/30/2620922/analysis-for-us-egypt-crisis-recalls.html>


SHAH / MUBARAK TIMELINE – LEADING UP TO REVOLT

A: MOHAMMED REZA PAHLAVI



  • began his reign in 1941, succeeding his father, Reza Khan, to the throne.

  • In a 1953 power struggle with his prime minister, the Shah gained
    American support to prevent nationalization of Iran’s oil industry. In
    return for assuring the U.S. a steady supply of oil, the Shah received
    economic and military aid from eight American presidents.

  • Early 1960s, the Shah announced social and economic reforms but
    refused to grant broad political freedom. Iranian nationalists condemned
    his U.S. supported regime and his “westernizing” of Iran.

  • 1963 rioting: Among those arrested and exiled was a popular
    religious nationalist and bitter foe of the United States, the Ayatollah
    Ruhollah Khomeini.

  • 1963 -1979, the Shah spent billions of oil dollars on military
    weapons. Unable to sustain economic progress and unwilling to expand
    democratic freedoms, the Shah’s regime collapsed in revolution.

  • January 16, 1979, the Shah fled Iran, never to return.

  • Came to America for cancer treatment in October 1979


http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/documents/hostages.phtml



B: HOSNI MUBARAK



  • Mubarak, 82, was thrust into office when Islamists gunned down his predecessor Anwar Sadat at a military parade in 1981.

  • Mubarak won the first multi-candidate presidential election in 2005
    although the outcome was never in doubt and his main rival came a
    distant second. Rights groups and observers said the election was marred
    by irregularities.

  • He has not said whether he will run for a sixth six-year term in
    2011. Officials have indicated he probably will if he can, although
    questions about his health after surgery in Germany in March make this a
    constant subject of debate. If he does not run, many Egyptians believe
    he may try to hand power to his 47-year-old son Gamal. Both Mubaraks
    deny such a plan.


((Reuters: Facts about Egypt’s President Mubarak; 25 January 2011))


RADICALS/PROTESTERS

A: AYATOLLAH KHAMIENI & FOLLOWERS


1979 Overthrow of the Shah

In 1941 Shah Mohammed Reza took power and Iran became firmly
aligned with the West. Over the next 30 years, there was a buildup of
resistance to Reza and his regime of modernization. The economy was
worsening and the opposition was staging massive demonstrations. Central
to these demonstrations were groups of Islamist students. The Shah fled
the country in January 1979. In February 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini
returned from exile and was proclaimed Emam (leader) and a
fundamentalist theocracy was installed


http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/iran.html



B: MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD



  • (AP) A leading Brotherhood figure, Saad el-Katatni, said Sunday that the group
    was talking to other opposition to form a committee to direct the
    protest movement. ElBaradei would be a member of the committee
    , but not necessarily its leader unless the members elect him, el-Katatni said.

  • (AP) “The membership saw that it was the regular Egyptians
    going into the street and facing the battles, the Brotherhood felt like
    it couldn’t miss the opportunity,” said Alexandria journalist Ahmed Aly,
    who closely follows the group
    .

  • With the assassination of Sadat in 1981 by a smaller radical
    Islamist group, the Brotherhood charted a more mainstream course, and in
    1987 won many government seats in an “Islamic Alliance” with other
    parties. Although it remains officially banned, the Brotherhood actively
    participates, with success, in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, running
    candidates as “independents” under the slogan “Islam is the Solution.”

  • the Brotherhood joined the political Left in opposing
    Sadat’s peace treaty with Israel, believing the normalization of
    relations with Israel to be a betrayal of Islam.



NEW REGIME – KHAMEINI / El-BARADEI?

A: AYATOLLA KHOMEINI



  • The exiled Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran in February 1979 and whipped popular discontent into rabid anti-Americanism.

  • October 1979, Ayatollah incited Iranian militants to attack the U.S.

  • On November 4, 1979 the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun and
    its employees taken captive. The hostage crisis had begun. Of the 66 who
    were taken hostage, 13 were released on Nov. 19 and 20, 1979; one was
    released on July 11, 1980, and the remaining 52 were released on Jan.
    20, 1981.

  • Khamenei was one of the founders of the Islamic Republican
    Party, which dominated the Majlis (the national legislature) after the
    1979 revolution
    . He was appointed to the Council of the Islamic
    Revolution in 1979, and between 1979 and 1981 he was a member of the
    Majlis, serving as deputy minister of defense, commander of the
    Revolutionary Guard, and representative on the Supreme Council of
    Defense. He also served several times as general secretary of the
    Islamic Republic Party.


http://www.iranchamber.com/history/islamic_revolution/islamic_revolution.php



B: DR. MOHAMED EL BARADEI ?



  • Dr. Mohamed El Baradei is the Director General of the International
    Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) El Baradei was appointed to the office
    effective December 1, 1997

  • El Baradei was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1942

  • Jan 27: Pro-democracy leader Mohamed ElBaradei returns to Egypt amid a third straight day of demonstrations

  • Mohammed el-Beltagui, a key Brotherhood leader and former Parliament
    member, said an alliance of the protest’s more youthful leaders and
    older opposition figures had met again in an attempt to assemble a more
    unified front with a joint committee


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/world/middleeast/01egypt.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&hp <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/world/middleeast/01egypt.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&hp>



  • Ayman Nour, an Egyptian politician and leader of the al-Ghad Party,
    told Al Jazeera that he and his allies have met and agreed to nominate
    Mohamed ElBaradei as the representative of the movement against Hosni
    Mubarak.


http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2011/01/egypt_news_al_jazeera_cairo_bu.html


US SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY

A: CARTER ADMINISTRATION



  • The U.S. president had given lofty and elegant speeches defending
    democracy and human rights, assuring the people of the Middle East that
    the United States supported their democratic demands…When the
    leader tried to use the force of his military to calm the situation, the
    United States issued ambiguous statements, indicating support for the
    leader’s desire to establish law and order on the one hand while at the
    same time insisting that the march of democracy must continue
    , and that the use of force could not be a solution to the country’s problems


http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979 <http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979>



  • PRES CARTER: ‘I fully expect the Shah to maintain power in Iran and
    for the present problems in Iran to be resolved. The predictions of doom
    and disaster that came from some sources have certainly not been
    realized at all.” (12/12/1978 One month before the Shah fled Iran)



B: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION



  • White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said Egypt remains “a close ally,” while stressing the importance of universal rights for the Egyptian people

  • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement urging restraint and asking the Egyptian government to allow peaceful protests instead of cracking down

  • ElBaradei criticized Clinton and others yesterday, writing that Egypt
    is confronting “social disintegration, economic stagnation, political
    repression, and we do not hear anything from you, the Americans, or for
    that matter from the Europeans



US TIES TO NEW LEADER / FUTURE



  • A: But both the leader and his American supporters were caught
    off-guard by the size of the demonstrations. American officials began
    trying to walk a dangerous tight-rope: offering support for the
    beleaguered leader but also establishing ties and credibility with the
    opposition.


http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979 <http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979>


B: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION’S CAUTION



  • Hillary Clinton: There are many, many steps along the journey that has been started by the Egyptian people themselves,” she said. “We wish to support that.”

  • Obama yesterday called British Prime Minister David Cameron <http://www.nypost.com/t/David_Cameron> after having phoned Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <http://www.nypost.com/t/Benjamin_Netanyahu> and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia a day earlier. In their first public discussion of the protests, Israeli leaders spoke cautiously. “Israel
    and Egypt have been at peace for more than three decades, and our
    objective is to ensure that these ties be preserved,” Netanyahu said
    . http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/regime_foe_in_show_of_farce_I9Rg0dY7dqpDDFE2fqr7BN#ixzz1CdUScJvT <http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/regime_foe_in_show_of_farce_I9Rg0dY7dqpDDFE2fqr7BN>

  • For over a century, Egypt, like Iran, has been a bellwether
    state for the entire region. The arrival of freedom to Egypt would
    therefore put the Iranian mullahs on the defensive
    .

  • President Obama must use all of his persuasive power to
    demand that Hosni Mubarak immediately declare that he will not seek
    reelection
    . The Egyptian dictator must be persuaded to appoint a
    caretaker government that will handle the daily affairs of the state,
    headed by a moderate member of the opposition like Mohammed ElBaradei. This
    might be the last chance to arrange an orderly transition to democracy,
    one wherein anti-democratic forces in any guise—religious, military,
    secular, or theocratic—cannot derail the democratic process
    .


http://www.tnr.com/article/world/82450/egypt-riots-iranian-revolution-1979

President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak

Detailed background

4 May 1928: born into an upper middle class family, received a military education in Egypt and the Soviet Union.


1950: Joined the air force


1969: became air force chief of staff


1972: commander-in-chief with the rank of air marshal


1981: “elected” or took cover president on 13 October a week after Sadat was assassinated


2005: won Egypt’s first ever multi-candidate presidential election. Elected to his 5th 6-year term as president


((Amended the constitution in 2005 to allow competitive, multi-candidate elections for the first time in Egypt’s history))


Egypt’s economic stats:



  • Two thirds of the population is under 30, and that age group accounts for 90 percent of the jobless

  • About 40% of Egypt’s population lives on less than $2 a day


(Source: Egypt unrest enters third day, ElBaradei to return, Reuters, 26 January 2011)



  • Despite the relatively high levels of economic growth over the past
    few years, living conditions for the average Egyptian remain poor

  • Approximately 30% of the population is illiterate

  • 2010 est. unemployment rate: 9.7%

  • 20 percent of the population is below the poverty line (2005)

  • 2010 est. inflation rate in consumer prices: 12.8 percent


(Source: The CIA World Factbook – Egypt – https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html> )



  • Some analysts have unemployment as high as 25 percent

  • Poverty afflicts nearly 40 percent of Egypt’s 80 million people


(Source: Fitch downgrades Egypt outlook to negative as violence and
protests mount . 28 January 2011, Associated Press Newswires)


U.S. AID to Egypt:



  • Since 1979, Egypt has been the second-largest recipient, after Israel, of U.S. foreign assistance.

  • The United States has provided Egypt with an annual average of $2
    billion in economic and military foreign assistance since 1979.

  • The U.S. has given nearly $67 billion in economic and military aid to Egypt over the last 3 decades ($70bn since 1948)


Egypt Under Mubarak

* Mubarak has kept the country under emergency rule for the last 30 years, allowing sweeping powers for the President.


* The Emergency Law
restricts many basic rights, empowering the government to tap
telephones, intercept mail, search persons and places without warrants,
and indefinitely detain suspects without charge if they are deemed a
threat to national security
.


* Corruption remains pervasive at all levels of government. Egypt was
ranked 111 out of 180 countries surveyed in Transparency International’s
2009 Corruption Perceptions Index.


* Egypt is not an electoral democracy. The political system is designed to ensure solid majorities for the ruling NDP at all levels of government.


* The rise of
Mubarak’s 47-year-old ex-banker son (Gamal) within the ranks of the
ruling party, however, has become a symbol of his abuse of power.

…………………


Fixing Elections

* During parliamentary elections in November and December 2005 there were attacks on opposition voters by security forces and pro government thugs.



* In 2005, Mubarak agreed to a multi-candidate presidential election. He then made his challenger, the secular Ayman Nour, pay with trumped-up charges of fraud and four years in jail. He is Egypt’s best known opposition figure and was released in 2009 after spending 3 years in jail on charges of election fraud.


*Three rounds of parliamentary elections in November and December 2005. Voter turnout was low, and
attacks on opposition voters by security forces and pro government
thugs abounded. Judges criticized the government for failing to prevent
voter intimidation and refused to certify the election results,
prompting the authorities to suppress judicial independence in 2006.



* In March 2007, a set of 34 constitutional amendments were submitted to a national vote. The
Judges’ Club accused the government of ballot stuffing and vote buying.
Upper house elections held that June were similarly marred by
irregularities, and the Muslim Brotherhood was prevented from winning
any seats after authorities detained potential candidates and found
spurious reasons to prevent several candidates from registering
.


* In 2008 municipal elections, the Brotherhood was again shut out in a
similar manner, and the government’s ongoing crackdown on the group led
to lengthy prison terms for many senior members.


* Ahead of the 2008
municipal elections, the authorities arrested hundreds of would-be
candidates and prevented thousands of others from registering.



…………………….


CENSORSHIP: Suppressing Freedom of the Press



* Freedom of the press is restricted in law and in practice.


* The state dominates the broadcast media and exercises influence over all privately owned publications through its monopoly on printing and distribution.


* The three leading daily newspapers are state controlled, and their editors are appointed by the president.

* Foreign publications and Egyptian publications registered abroad are subject to direct government censorship. Foreign journalists are sometimes harassed or expelled.


* In October 2009, authorities at Cairo airport prevented Swedish
freelance reporter and blogger Per Bjorklund, who often reported on
Egypt’s labor movement, from entering the country. Several privately
owned Egyptian satellite television stations have been established, but
their programming is subject to state influence.


* Films, plays, and
books are subject to censorship, especially for content deemed contrary
to Islam or harmful to the country’s reputation. A number of books and
movies have been banned on the advice of the country’s senior clerics
.


Suppressing Freedom of Assembly

* Freedoms of assembly and association are heavily restricted.


* Organizers of public demonstrations must receive advance approval from the Interior Ministry, which is rarely granted.


* Arrested political activists are often tried under the Emergency Law. The 2007 constitutional amendments essentially enshrined many controversial aspects of the Emergency Law, such as the presidents authority to transfer civilians suspected of terrorism to military courts.

* Since military judges are appointed by the executive
branch to renewable two-year terms, these tribunals lack independence.
Verdicts are based on little more than the testimony of security
officers and informers, and are reviewed only by a body of military
judges and the president.


* Constitutional
amendments passed in 2007 banned religion-based political parties,
ensuring the continued suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood.


…………………


2009 Human Rights Report: Egypt

* The government’s respect for human rights remained poor, and serious abuses continued in many areas.


* The government
limited citizens’ right to change their government and continued a state
of emergency that has been in place almost continuously since 1967.


* Security forces used unwarranted lethal force and tortured and abused prisoners and detainees, in most cases with impunity.


* Prison and detention center conditions were poor.


* Security forces
arbitrarily arrested and detained individuals, in some cases for
political purposes, and kept them in prolonged pretrial detention
.


* The executive branch exercised control over and pressured the judiciary.


* The government’s respect for freedoms of association and religion
remained poor during the year, and the government continued to restrict
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The government partially
restricted freedom of expression.


OTHER EXAMPLES OF TORTURE:



Mona Thabe

During the year human rights groups and the media
documented cases of abuse and harassment of journalists and bloggers who
reported on controversial topics. According to multiple NGO sources,
police tortured Mona Thabet
twice, first on January 19 at a police station in the Shubra
neighborhood of Cairo after she filed a complaint regarding the alleged
police torture of her husband, and again on February 13 at her home in
the same neighborhood. The alleged torture included beating, shaving her head, burning with cigarettes, and cutting. At year’s end the government had closed its investigation, citing lack of evidence.


(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)


Amnesty has a photo: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/egyptian-family-threatened-police-complaining-torture-20090227 <http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/egyptian-family-threatened-police-complaining-torture-20090227>


—–

Rami Ibrahim



In May 2008, according to multiple NGO sources, police officers in
Mansoura tortured by beating and electric shocks 17-year-old Rami
Ibrahim to force his confession to the rape and murder of a
four-year-old child. On April 25, Mansoura Juvenile Court convicted
Ibrahim and sentenced him to 15 years in prison; however, on December
30, an appeals court acquitted Ibrahim.


(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)


Photo here: http://www.qassam.ps/prisoner-10-Rami_Ibrahim_Zuweidi.html <http://www.qassam.ps/prisoner-10-Rami_Ibrahim_Zuweidi.html>


—-

Magda Adly, and Mona Hamed

On March 28, Damanhur Criminal Court sentenced police corporal Ahmed Antar Ibrahim to six years’ imprisonment for
his April 2008 assault inside a courthouse in Kafr Al Dawwar on the
director of the Al Nadim Center for the Psychological Rehabilitation of
Torture Victims and antitorture activist, Magda Adly, and her colleague,
Mona Hamed


(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)


http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1428 <http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1428>


—–

Alaa Al-Gamal

On July 10 and 11, according to NGO sources, police broke into the home
of Alaa Al-Gamal, a journalist from the independent weekly newspaper
Sawt Al-Uma who had written articles critical of the government.


(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)


—–

Ibrahim El Sayed Metwally

In March 2008, according to the Al Nadim Center and the
Association for Human Rights Legal Aid (AHRLA), police chief of
investigations Ali Kedr and officers Hossam Abdel Moneim and Mahmoud Al
Deeb of the Menia Al Nasr Police Station allegedly raided the home of
private citizen Ibrahim El Sayed Metwally because of a debt he owed. The
officers severely beat and verbally abused Metwally’s mother and
siblings. Metwally’s sister claimed the officers detained her, beat her
with a stick, and threatened to strip her
.


(Source: State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, March 11, 2010, <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/nea/136067.htm>)

"

Two and a Half Men Shutdown Could Cost CBS Warner Bros Millions

Two and a Half Men Shutdown Could Cost CBS Warner Bros Millions: "

Two and a Half Men Shutdown Could Cost CBS Warner Bros MillionsAs Charlie Sheen heads back to a rehabilitation facility, weeks of salacious headlines are now giving way to a steep financial price for the star's behavior.

In fact, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that if 'Two and a Half Men' is forced to shut down permanently, it could jeopardize as much as $250 million in domestic syndication revenue for producer Warner Bros. Television and millions more in lost ad revenue for CBS.

In its eighth season, Men is the most-watched comedy on television, averaging 14.7 million viewers, while it is second only to ABC's 'Modern Family' among the ad-coveted younger demographic of 18-49-year-olds. CBS sells 30-second spots in 'Men' for more than $200,000, according to media buyers, generating more than $3 million per episode. Kantar Media reports that the show grossed CBS more than $155 million in ad revenue last season alone.

And "Men" also is the network's linchpin on Monday nights, helping to launch successful comedies including "The Big Bang Theory" and most recently "Mike & Molly" (both from "Men" co-creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre). There are currently only two new episodes of "Men" that have not yet aired, and while CBS will save on license fees if production remains shut down, the loss of new "Men" will certainly impact the overall performance of its Monday night lineup.

In a statement released to THR on Sunday, CBS again expressed concern for Sheen's well-being but sought to distance the network from any potential deleterious effect of the actor's behavior.

'Looking forward, the financial impact of the shutdown is not material to CBS,' the statement says. 'Any ratings declines will be more than offset by the reduced programming costs for episodes lost this season. We will begin to address the scheduling issues this week. The network is strong and deep with hit series; we're not reliant on one show. In addition, 'Two and a Half Men' has always performed well in repeats, and we have the option of ordering additional episodes of other popular comedies on the network.'

At this point, the final two new episodes are scheduled to air Feb. 7 and 14.

For Warner Bros. Television, the stakes are arguably higher. Domestic syndication deals are on tap to bring in nearly $2 billion for the first two syndication cycles that extend through the 2020-21 season. That's in addition to foreign and DVD sales revenue.

Sheen signed a new two-year deal reportedly worth close to $2 million per episode for Seasons 8 and 9. But no one knows how long the actor will stay in rehab this time. (A stint last year barely interrupted the show's production schedule, with 'Men' finishing Season 7 with 22 episodes rather than the planned 24.) If Sheen's well-documented demons force a shutdown for the remainder of the current eighth season as well as the ninth season, industry sources estimate that Warner Bros., which has already packaged those seasons on current syndication deals, could lose as much as $250 million. Warner Bros. declined further comment Sunday.

But the studio might soon have to re-examine those rich syndication deals. WBTV first sold 'Men' in syndication to Tribune Broadcasting and Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2006 for license fees of about $2 million in cash and an additional $2 million per episode in barter advertising, sources said. Last year, reruns also began airing on FX for another $850,000 per episode. Today, 'Men' is the No. 1 syndicated comedy in households and the 25-54 demo.

'It's one of the greatest success stories ever in syndication,' one industry insider says. 'It's just an enormous hit. It's been so exposed and yet it continues to do so well.'

That's why in November, the companies announced a second cycle of that deal extending through the 2020-21 season and encompassing the current eighth and ninth seasons of the show. And while Warner Bros. still has more than seven seasons of 'Men,' the potential loss of 32 episodes off of that deal, or a license period about 12 months shorter, is not insignificant.

There also is the future syndication revenue that will be left on the table if the show ends this season. 'Seinfeld,' which finished its run in 1998, continues to perform well in syndication, and has reportedly wracked up close to $3 billion in domestic syndication so far. In making the announcement about the second-cycle syndication deal for 'Men' in November, Sean Compton, president of programming for Tribune Broadcasting, alluded to the future prospects of 'Men.'

The show, Compton said, "was an immediate game-changer that significantly elevated the performance of our stations, and we have never looked back. This is one of those rare shows — like "Friends" and "Seinfeld" — that will continue to deliver for decades."

"
Two and a Half Men Shutdown Could Cost CBS Warner Bros Millions http://ping.fm/sveNL

Tim Pawlenty Calls Obama Chicken

Tim Pawlenty Calls Obama Chicken: "

Anyone who’s seen “Back to the Future”
knows you don’t call someone “chicken” unless you’re ready to rumble.
And, judging by Republican Tim Pawlenty’s appearance on “Fox &
Friends” Monday morning, preparations seem to be underway for a
presidential showdown in 2012.


The former Minnesota governor criticized President Barack Obama for
hiding behind “soaring rhetoric” instead of confronting out-of-control
entitlements. While “most Americans understand we’ve got a problem,“
Pawlenty suggested Obama was a ”chicken” during his State of the Union
speech, lacking the political courage to do anything about it:


Watch Video Here


“As I try to remind people … don’t confuse being nice with being
weak,” Pawlenty said. “You can be hopeful and optimistic and strong, but
you’ve also got to back it up.”

"

Sunday, January 30, 2011

US set to fly thousands of Americans from Egypt http://ping.fm/T5ohH
A Better Health Way http://ping.fm/1hbqu
The Tear Gas (Smoke Bombs) Used Against Egyptian Protesters Were Also Used at G-20 http://ping.fm/8TFmo
Death Toll Tops 100 in Egypt’s Protests opegypt Egypt Jan25 http://ping.fm/VWZW4

Death Toll Tops 100 in Egypt’s Protests #opegypt #Egypt #Jan25

Death Toll Tops 100 in Egypt’s Protests #opegypt #Egypt #Jan25: "

More than 100 people have been killed during anti-government protests
that have swept Egypt, according to a Reuters tally of reports from
medical sources, hospitals and witnesses.


There was no official figure, and the real figure may be very different, given the confusion on the streets.


On Saturday in Beni Suef, south of Cairo, police shot dead 17 people
trying to attack two police stations and eight people were killed during
protests. Eight others were killed in clashes when prisoners tried to
escape from Abu Zaabal prison in Cairo.


Some 68 deaths were reported killed in Cairo, Suez and Alexandria during Friday’s protests.


Full Article @ Prison Planet

"

Watch Television Tonight (Sports PPV TV Shows)

Watch Television Tonight (Sports PPV TV Shows): "


























































7:00 PMET2011 NFL Pro Bowl 01:00CET
7:30 PMETDetroit Pistons vs New York Knicks 01:30CET
7:45 PMETMaryland vs Georgia Tech 01:45CET
8:00 PMETNew Orleans Hornets vs Phoenix Suns 02:00CET
8:00 PMETNorthern Iowa vs Missouri State 02:00CET
8:00 PMETWWE Royal Rumble 02:00CET
10:00 PMETUtah Jazz vs Golden State Warriors 04:00CET
"

Clinton: Egypt Must Transition to Democracy

Clinton: Egypt Must Transition to Democracy: "

Egyptian anti-government protesters pray in front of an Egyptian army tankduring a protest in Tahrir …WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is
calling on Egypt to move toward an orderly transition to democracy, but
says there’s a long way to go.


Clinton tells “Fox News Sunday” that the situation in Egypt is
volatile and complex, as protestors continue to swarm into the streets.


While noting that President Hosni Mubarak has finally appointed a
vice president, she says the U.S. also does not want to see a takeover
of the government in Egypt that would lead to oppression.


The State Department says U.S. citizens in Egypt should consider
leaving the country as soon as they can because of the spreading unrest
there, and other countries were doing the same.


"

U.S. Advises Americans to Leave Egypt ASAP

U.S. Advises Americans to Leave Egypt ASAP: "

Egyptian anti-government protesters pray in front of an Egyptian army tankduring a protest in Tahrir …WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says U.S. citizens in Egypt
should consider leaving the country as soon as they can because of the
spreading unrest there.


The department says demonstrations against the government of
President Hosni Mubarak have not targeted Westerners, but Americans
should take precautions for their own security.


The U.S. government is also allowing nonessential diplomats and the
families of all embassy workers to leave Egypt at Washington’s expense.
The step builds on a travel warning from Friday urging Americans to
avoid traveling to Egypt because of the unrest.


Americans are advised to remain in their homes or hotels until the situation stabilizes.



Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will address the situation in Egypt when she appears on five morning news shows Sunday

"
Tear Gas Causes Anti American Sentiment in Egypt http://ping.fm/wMGJ9

Has Obama Been Tough Enough With Egypt?

Has Obama Been Tough Enough With Egypt?: "

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama tried the impossible:
winning the hearts and minds of Egyptians furious with their autocratic
ruler while assuring a vital ally that the United States has his back.


The four-minute speech Friday evening represented a careful balancing
act for Obama. He had a lot to lose by choosing between protesters
demanding that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak step down from a
government violently clinging to its three-decade grip on the country.


“The United States will continue to stand up for the rights of the
Egyptian people and work with their government in pursuit of a future
that is more just, more free and more hopeful,” the president said.


Yet he offered no ultimatum or specific demand, saying instead that
Mubarak had a “responsibility to give meaning” to his pledges of better
democracy and more economic opportunity.


The U.S. response is challenged by a massive mismatch in the
perception and reality of its power. Despite spending billions in Egypt
to establish a bulwark of American influence in the Middle East, the
U.S. has little capacity to determine whether the 82-year-old Mubarak
weathers the protests or is toppled, analysts and past administration
officials say.


In his first television appearance since protests erupted three days
ago, Mubarak said Friday he asked his Cabinet to resign. He said he
would reconstitute it yet outlined no concrete democratic reform. He
also defended the brutal crackdown on protesters, who’ve faced baton
beatings, water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas.


Speaking shortly after, Obama didn’t endorse regime change. Nor did
he say that Mubarak’s announcement was insufficient. Instead, he said he
personally told Mubarak to take “concrete steps” to expand rights.


Does that mean that Mubarak should step down after three decades in
power? Should he announce that he won’t run again for president? What
about constitutional changes? Is it time to scrap emergency laws in
place since 1981?


Administration officials would not say.


Obama’s address was the most forceful of the day, but it stuck
largely to the script already set by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.


“What will eventually happen in Egypt is up to Egyptians,” Clinton
said, noting that the Egypt government could ease tensions by rapidly
introducing democratic reform. “That moment needs to be seized, and we
are hoping that it is.”


“The legitimate grievances that have festered for quite some time in
Egypt have to be addressed,” Gibbs said. “And violence is not the
response.”


The reality is that the United States can do little to control or
direct the anger in the Arab world unleashed two weeks ago when Tunisia
chased its long-time ruler from power. Yet the U.S. can do severe harm
to its own interests by coming out too forcefully for or against the
uprising.


Washington’s perceived ability to pick and choose governments is
limited to a very few places. It does not wield that power in the Middle
East, where Islamic parties completely opposed to the United States are
often the most likely democratic alternatives.


“This is the most serious foreign policy crisis the administration
has faced,” said Aaron David Miller, who worked two decades at the State
Department and is now a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center. “The
paradox is, there is little if anything the administration can do.”


That doesn‘t mean it won’t try.


The White House said earlier Friday it would review the $1.5 billion
in annual aid to Egypt, an unsubtle warning that it still has some pull
with Cairo.


The State Department issued an unusual warning to Americans to avoid
all but essential travel to Egypt at the height of the winter tourism
season.


“The U.S. doesn’t believe revolutions are the way to go,” said Robert
Danin, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a State
Department specialist on the Middle East under President George W. Bush.
“Revolutions are violent. They have unanticipated outcomes.”


Still, rhetoric matters. After spending billions backing its few Arab
friends, the U.S. has damaged credibility in the Arab world, leaving a
narrow space for Washington policymakers.


Without a bold statement of solidarity, it’s tough to see how the
United States will gain the sympathy of Egyptian protesters fighting a
security apparatus that has worked closely with American counterparts
and may be using U.S. equipment to repress them.


Obama aimed high: “The people of Egypt have rights that are
universal. That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association,
the right to free speech and the ability to determine their own
destiny. These are human rights and the United States will stand up for
them everywhere.”


But he tempered the bold idealism of a world of universal rights with
a strong plea for peaceful protests. And he was clear that Mubarak’s
government still had some U.S. support. “We are committed to working
with the Egyptian government and the Egyptian people,” Obama said.


The need for balance is obvious. Completely alienating Mubarak would
be a disaster for the U.S. if his government weathers the storm,
possibly harming cooperation in the Mideast peace process or on
counterterrorism.


Scott Carpenter, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East
Policy, said the United States will have more options once it becomes
clear which side will prevail. “We cannot dictate anything,” he said.


Others decried what they deemed a reactive approach to U.S. foreign policy.


“We don’t side with the regime or the protesters when it matters,”
said Michael Rubin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “By
being so cautious and cynical, we end up not winning the hearts and
minds of either side.”

"

U.S. Protesters Take to the Streets to Support Egyptians

U.S. Protesters Take to the Streets to Support Egyptians: "

U.S. Protesters Take to the Streets to Support Egyptians


CHICAGO (AP) — Thousands of people in Egypt who flooded streets in
riots calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down were joined
Saturday by relatives and supporters at protests in major American
cities.


“Mubarak will go. If not today, then tomorrow,” Magdy Al-Abady, 39,
of Chicago, said during a demonstration downtown in front of the
Egyptian consulate’s office. The genomics researcher, with an Egyptian
flag draped over his shoulders, said his brother and parents were
protesting in Egypt and he was speaking often with his brother.


U.S. Protesters Take to the Streets to Support Egyptians


Protesters also gathered outside the United Nations complex in New York
City, filled the street in front of the Egyptian embassy in Washington
and marched through downtown San Francisco to show solidarity with the
uprising.


U.S. Protesters Take to the Streets to Support Egyptians


In Chicago, picketers marched and chanted, “Hey Mubarak you will see,
all Egyptians will be free.“ They held signs that said ”Victory to the
Egyptian people“ and ”Freedom and Justice for all Egyptians.”


Al-Abady said he wants President Barack Obama to support the Egyptian people.


“He must say very clearly that he does not support Mubarak,” Al-Abady
said. “Mubarak is not Egypt. The Egyptians are not Mubarak.”


The crowd in New York called for the international community to support the popular uprising and abandon Mubarak.


U.S. Protesters Take to the Streets to Support Egyptians


Dahlia Ashour, a native of the Egyptian capital of Cairo who still
has family in Egypt, said she was disappointed Obama hadn’t made a
forceful statement in support of the protesters. “He should be standing
by the people, not by the regime,” she said.


Ahmed Soliman, of Manhattan, said Egypt deserves a leader who is
“completely democratic.” He said the riots and massive demonstrations
are the result of genuine popular anger, not the work of a scheming
opposition party.


“This is coming from the people,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for
this to happen. I left Egypt 18 years ago, and I have been dreaming of
this day since then.”


In downtown Seattle, protesters carried hand-lettered signs, saying “We‘ll shout until he’s out“ and ”Down, Down Mubarak.”


U.S. Protesters Take to the Streets to Support Egyptians


Dozens gathered in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass., to peacefully
protest, waving Egyptian flags, holding signs and chanting for Mubarak
to step down as they marched toward Boston.


In San Francisco, a crowd crammed into a small plaza waving Egyptian
flags and raising chants in English and Arabic against Mubarak.
Demonstrators said they were not placated by Mubarak’s decision Saturday
to name his intelligence chief as his first-ever vice president.


Basma Hassan, 35, a Chicago student and mother, waved the Egyptian
flag and said she wants the Egyptian people to know they have support in
the United States.


“We feel their pain,” she said. “We don’t want anyone to think we betrayed them.”

"

Saturday, January 29, 2011

What Service Should You Use to File Your Taxes (Tax Return) http://ping.fm/SOCwZ

Looters rip heads off 2 mummies at Egyptian Museum

Looters rip heads off 2 mummies at Egyptian Museum: "

An Egyptian army soldier stands guard near antiquities of the Egyptian museum in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, … CAIRO – Would-be looters broke into Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum, ripping the heads off two mummies and damaging about 10 small artifacts before being caught and detained by soldiers, Egypt's antiquities chief said Saturday.

Zahi Hawass said the vandals did not manage to steal any of the museum's antiquities, and that the prized collection was now safe and under military guard.

With mass anti-government protests still roiling the country and unleashing chaos on the streets, fears that looters could target other ancient treasures at sites across the country prompted the military to dispatch armored personnel carriers and troops to the Pyramids of Giza, the temple city of Luxor and other key archaeological monuments.

Hawass said now that the Egyptian Museum's collection is secure from thieves, the greatest threat to the collection inside is posed by the torched ruling party headquarters building next door.

'What scares me is that if this building is destroyed, it will fall over the museum,' Hawass said as he watched fire trucks spray water on the still smoldering NDP headquarters.

The museum, which is home to the gold mask of King Tutankhamun that draws millions of tourists a year, also houses thousands of artifacts spanning the full sweep of Egypt's rich pharaonic history.

'The significance of the collection of the Cairo museum cannot be understated,' said Thomas Campbell, the director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art by telephone. 'It is the great repository of Egyptian art. It is the treasure chest, the finest sculptures and treasures from literally 4,000 years of history.'

'If it is damaged through looting or fire, it would be a loss to all humankind,' he said.

The museum is located near some of the most intense of the mass anti-government protests sweeping the capital, and Egyptian army commandoes secured the building and its grounds early Saturday.

Before the army arrived, young Egyptians — some armed with truncheons grabbed off the police — created a human chain at the museum's front gate to prevent looters from making off with any of its priceless artifacts.

'They managed to stop them,' Hawass said. He added that the would-be looters only vandalized two mummies, ripping their heads off. They also cleared out the museum gift shop.

The prized King Tutankhamun exhibit had not been damaged and was safe, he said.

An Associated Press Television News crew that was allowed into the museum saw two vandalized mummies and at least 10 small artifacts that had been taken out of their glass cases and damaged.

Fears of looters have prompted authorities elsewhere to take precautions to secure antiquities at other sites.

The military closed the pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo to tourists, and armored personnel carriers could be seen outside the famed archaeological site.

Archaeologist Kent Weeks, who is in the southern temple town of Luxor, said that rumors that attacks were planned against monuments prompted authorities to erect barriers and guard Karnak Temple while tanks were positioned around Luxor's museum.

"

Chaos engulfs Cairo as Mubarak points to successor

Chaos engulfs Cairo as Mubarak points to successor: "

Egyptian anti-government protesters pray in front of an Egyptian army tankduring a protest in Tahrir … CAIRO – With protests raging, Egypt's president named his intelligence chief as his first-ever vice president on Saturday, setting the stage for a successor as chaos engulfed the capital. Soldiers stood by — a few even joining the demonstrators — and the death toll from five days of anti-government fury rose sharply to 74.

Saturday's fast-moving developments across the north African nation marked a sharp turning point in President Hosni Mubarak's three-decade rule of Egypt.

Residents and shopkeepers in affluent neighborhoods boarded up their houses and stores against looters, who roamed the streets with knives and sticks, stealing what they could and destroying cars, windows and street signs. Gunfire rang out in some neighborhoods.

Tanks and armored personnel carriers fanned out across the city of 18 million, guarding key government buildings, and major tourist and archaeological sites. Among those singled out for special protection was the Egyptian Museum, home to some of the country's most treasured antiquities, and the Cabinet building. The military closed the pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo — Egypt's premier tourist site.

But soldiers made no moves against protesters, even after a curfew came and went and the crowds swelled in the streets, demanding an end to Mubarak's rule and no handoff to the son he had been grooming to succeed him.

'This is the revolution of people of all walks of life,' read black graffiti scrolled on one army tank in Tahrir Square. 'Mubarak, take your son and leave,' it said.

Thousands of protesters defied the curfew for the second night, standing their ground in the main Tahrir Square in a resounding rejection of Mubarak's attempt to hang onto power with promises of reform and a new government.

Police protecting the Interior Ministry near the site opened fire at a funeral procession for a dead protester, possibly because it came too close to the force. Clashes broke out and at least two people were killed.

A 43-year-old teacher, Rafaat Mubarak, said the appointment of the president's intelligence chief and longtime confidant, Omar Suleiman, as vice president did not satisfy the protesters.

'This is all nonsense. They will not fool us anymore. We want the head of the snake,' he said in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. 'If he is appointed by Mubarak, then he is just one more member of the gang. We are not speaking about a branch in a tree, we are talking about the roots.'

The crackdown on protesters has drawn harsh criticism from the Obama administration and even a threat Friday to reduce a $1.5 billion foreign aid program if Washington's most important Arab ally escalates the use of force.

Thousands of passengers were stranded at Cairo's airport as flights were canceled or delayed, leaving them unable to leave because of a government-imposed curfew. Several Arab nations, meanwhile, moved to evacuate their citizens.

The cancelations of flights and the arrival of several largely empty aircraft appeared to herald an ominous erosion of key tourism revenue.

The protesters united in one overarching demand — Mubarak and his family must go. The movement is a culmination of years of simmering frustration over a government they see as corrupt, heavy-handed and neglectful of poverty.

Egyptians were emboldened by the uprising in Tunisia — another North African Arab nation, and further buoyed by their success in defying the ban on gatherings.

At the end of a long day of rioting and mass demonstrations Friday, Mubarak fired his Cabinet and promised reforms. But the demonstrators returned in force again Saturday to demand a complete change of regime.

The president appeared to have been preparing his son Gamal to succeed him, possibly as soon as presidential elections planned for later this year. However, there was significant public opposition to the hereditary succession.

The appointment of Suleiman, 74, answers one of the most intriguing and enduring political questions in Egypt: Who will succeed 82-year-old Mubarak?

Another question is whether his appointment will calm Egypt's seething cities.

Mubarak appointed Suleiman shortly after the U.S. said he needed to take concrete action to achieve 'real reform.' Suleiman is well known and respected by American officials and has traveled to Washington many times.

Before word that Mubarak had picked his first vice president, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the U.S. wanted to see Mubarak fulfill his pledges of reform.

'The Egyptian government can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat,' Crowley said on his Twitter account. 'President Mubarak's words pledging reform must be followed by action.'

As the army presence expanded in Cairo Saturday, police largely disappeared from the streets — possibly because their presence seemed only to fuel protesters' anger. Egyptian police are hated for their brutality.

On Friday, 17 police stations throughout Cairo were torched, with protesters stealing firearms and ammunition and freeing some jailed suspects. They also burned dozens of police trucks in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. On Saturday, protesters besieged a police station in the Giza neighborhood of Cairo, looted and pulled down Egyptian flags, then burned the building to the ground.

There were no clashes reported between protesters and the military at all, and many in the crowds showered soldiers with affection.

One army captain joined the demonstrators in Tahrir Square, who hoisted him on their shoulders while chanting slogans against Mubarak. The officer ripped apart a picture of the president.

'We don't want him! We will go after him!' demonstrators shouted. They decried looting and sabotage, saying: 'Those who love Egypt should not sabotage Egypt!'

Some 200 inmates escaped a jail on the outskirts of the city, starting a fire first to cover their breakout. Eight inmates were killed during the escape.

On Saturday, feelings of joy over the sustained protest mingled with frustration over the looting and Mubarak's refusal to step down.

'To hell with Mubarak; We don't serve individuals. We serve this country that we love, just like you,' yelled another soldier to protesters from atop a tank scrawled with graffiti that said: 'Down with Mubarak!'

Like Mubarak, Suleiman has a military background. The powerful military has provided Egypt with its four presidents since the monarchy was toppled nearly 60 years ago. He has been in charge of some of Egypt's most sensitive foreign policy issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

Suleiman, additionally, is widely seen as a central regime figure, a position that protesters were likely to view with suspicion.

Mubarak also named his new prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, the outgoing civil aviation minister and fellow former air force officer.

Both appointments perpetuate the military's overriding role in Egyptian politics.

Suleiman's frequent trips to Israel could be held against him by a population that continues to view the Jewish state as a sworn enemy more than 30 years after the two neighbors signed a peace treaty.

With the two occupying the country's most important jobs after the president from the military, Gamal, a banker-turned-politician, appears out of the running for his father's job.

A leaked U.S. diplomatic memo said Gamal and his clique of ruling party stalwarts and businessmen were gaining confidence in 2007 about controlling power in Egypt and that they believed that Mubarak would eventually dump Suleiman, who was seen as a threat by Gamal and his coterie of aides.

Gamal launched his political career within the ranks of the ruling National Democratic Party, climbed over the past 10 years to become its de facto leader, dictating economic policies and bolstering his own political standing.

Gamal's close aide and confidant, steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz, resigned from the party on Saturday, according to state television. Gamal and Ezz are suspected of orchestrating the rigging of the last parliamentary election in November, making sure the ruling party won all but a small fraction of the chamber's 518 seats.

'There is nothing short of Mubarak leaving power that will satisfy the people,' Mohamed ElBaradei, the country's leading pro-reform activist told The Associated Press on Saturday. 'I think what Mubarak said yesterday was an insult to the intelligence of the Egyptian people.'

Buildings, statues and even armored security vehicles were covered in anti-Mubarak graffiti, including the words 'Mubarak must fall,' which by morning had been written over to say 'Mubarak fell.'

The military extended the hours of the night curfew imposed Friday in the three major cities where the worst violence has been seen — Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. State television said it would begin at 4 p.m. and last until 8 a.m., longer than the 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. ban Friday night that appeared to not have been enforced.

The Internet appeared blocked for a second day to hamper protesters who use social networking sites to organize. And after cell phone service was cut for a day Friday, two of the country's major providers were up and running Saturday.

In the capital on Friday night, hundreds of young men carted away televisions, fans and stereo equipment looted from the ruling National Democratic Party, near the Egyptian Museum.

Others around the city looted banks, smashed cars, tore down street signs and pelted armored riot police vehicles with paving stones torn from roadways.

Banks and the stock market will be closed on Sunday, the first day of the week, because of the turmoil.

"