Three leading politicians condemn military attack on Tahrir, defend right to protest
Nada Hussein Rashwan, Saturday 17 Dec 2011
Head of Islamist Wasat Party resigns from advisory council; former presidential candidate Ayman Nour calls on SCAF to leave power immediately; presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabahi defends the right to protest


Abul Ela Madi, head of Al-Wasat Party and member of the ruling military council's advisory council announced on Saturday his resignation from the council in protest over the violent break-up of the Occupy Cabinet protest by army forces.

The advisory council released a statement Friday announcing the suspension of its meetings in protest over the crackdown.

Ela Madi's resignation follows two more: Moataz Abdel-Fatah and Ahmed Kheiry, who resigned from the advisory council in response to the army's violent crackdown on the protesters Thursday night.

The advisory council was only recently established to give a more continuous (versus the previous ad hoc meetings) and direct voice to political parties with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces through the transition to a civil government.

Meanwhile, Aljazeera Mubasher Misr reports that Presidential Candidate Ayman Nour who ran for president in 2005 has called on the ruling military council to "leave power immediately".

Possible presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi has also slammed the crackdown by security forces on peaceful protesters in front of the Cabinet headquarters.

“Forcibly ending a peaceful sit-in and attacking protesters is rejected completely,” Sabahi, one of the founding members of the Nasserist El-Karama Party, wrote on his Twitter account.

“Sit-ins are a legitimate right of citizens and those who took the decision (to attack the protesters) should resign immediately.”

Nine protesters were killed since the clashes started on Friday and more than 340 injured according to the ministry of health, and final numbers for casualties of Saturday's renewed attack on protesters have not been compiled so far.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/29564.aspx