Monday, Jan 31, 2011
Gulf News
Protesters free brotherhood leaders from jail
Dubai: Egypts Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition groups have put leading dissident Mohammad Al Baradei in charge of negotiating with embattled President Hosni Mubaraks regime, Essam Al Arian, spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood group, told Gulf News.
Al Arian was speaking with Gulf News just 12 hours after breaking out from prison. Thirty-four members of Muslim Brotherhood, including seven members of the leadership, walked out of prison in Egypt yesterday after relatives of the prisoners overpowered the guards, a Brotherhood official said.
Prison stormed
The relatives stormed the prison in Wadi Al Natroun, 120km northwest of Cairo, and set free several thousands of inmates, Brotherhood office manager Mohammad Osama said.
They are on their way to Cairo, he said. The seven leaders are from the Brotherhoods Guidance Council and they were arrested on Thursday night and Friday morning during preparations for the massive protests on Friday against Mubarak.
Mohammad Mursi, Mohammad Al Katatni, Saad Al Hussaini, Mustafa Al Goneimi, Muhyi Hamid and Mahmoud Abu Zeid were the other six leaders who escaped.
Right person
The higher consultative committee of the Brotherhood has agreed in its meeting this afternoon to accept Al Baradeis move and support it. We believe he is the right person to lead the movement at this moment, Al Arian told Gulf News.
The political scene in Egypt is currently divided over how to handle the current crisis in the country. While some will not stop until Mubarak resigns, others want to give Mubarak a chance to enforce reforms.
Ahmad Al Jubaili, chief of the People Democratic Party, told Gulf News that Egyptian uprising should stop at this point to give the president an opportunity to enforce reforms.
Probe call
In a telephone interview from his home in Fayoum, Jubaili said, however, those in charge of security in the country must be prosecuted for ordering security forces to withdraw and allowing chaos to prevail in the streets.
Former prime minister Ahmad Nazif and interior minister Habib Al Adli should not be allowed to go off the hook for failing to secure peoples lives in these trying times, he said.
In addition, they are the ones responsible among others for forging the results of the parliamentary election that helped the National Democratic Party win 99 of the houses seat in last years election, Jubaili said.
Hassan Al Turk, chief of the United Democratic Party, and Hussan Abdul Rahman, head of the Free Republic Party, told Gulf News they agree with Jubaili in endorsing Mubaraks move and said the country can not be safe if Mubarak decides to or is forced to depart at this stage.
By Duraid Al Baik, Associate Editor
Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
