Egypt: Police Assault Demonstrators, Journalists

Why don't we go after all of the tyrrants, including Bush?

Reuters AlertNet - Egypt: Police Assault Demonstrators, Journalists:

" (New York, May 13, 2006) ? Thousands of Egyptian security forces sealed off much of downtown Cairo on Thursday and violently attacked protestors attempting to demonstrate in support of reformist judges, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on President Hosni Mubarak to speak out against the police violence and hold accountable those responsible. Beatings by plainclothes officers and thugs left dozens injured. According to defense lawyers, authorities arrested 255 persons in connection with the incidents. State Security prosecutors have ordered them all held for 15 days pending further investigation on charges of intent to assault property and people, obstructing the authorities' work, endangering public transport, disseminating propaganda and insulting the head of state and public employees.

'The government is apparently determined to stamp out peaceful dissent ? literally,' said Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch. 'It seems that President Mubarak sees growing popular support for the reformist judges as a real challenge to his authoritarian ways.'

The incidents occurred when demonstrators tried to reach the area around Cairo's High Court for a 10 a.m. rally in support of two judges, Hisham al-Bastawissi and Mahmud Makki, who were facing a disciplinary hearing in the court as a result of their vocal criticism of fraudulent parliamentary elections late last year.

President Mubarak has remained silent in the face of the escalating police violence"