Egyptian Army Dissolve Parliament
Cairo, Egypt
The Egyptian military authorities say it has dissolved parliament and suspended the country’s constitution, few days after President Hosni Mubarak stepped down.
In a statement read out on the state television on Sunday Egypt’s higher military council said that it was dissolving both houses of parliament and suspending the constitution, before setting up a committee that will draft a new one and present it to a popular referendum.
The council is expected to stay in power for the next six months or until election, as the statement read. Also it’s expected to issue laws during the interim period under which caretaker Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq will run the cabinet until a new one is structured.
President Mubarak’s step down from power on Friday was prompted by 18 days of massive demonstrations throughout the country over widespread unemployment, poverty and corruption.
The US-based Human Rights Watch confirmed that 297 people have been killed in the unrest based on reports from hospitals in the country.
Speaking during a press conference PM Ahmed Shafiq said his main priority was to restore security in the country, where he pledged to return right to people and fight corruption. He confirmed of a solid internal economic reserves that the country possesses which can endure economic crisis but could be impeded if instability continues.
The Military Police chief has ordered for tents to be cleared from Tahrir Square in central Cairo where protesters have engaged them in a fray. The protesters are reluctant to leave the square until a full timetable for reforms has been drawn up by the interim government.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s police held demonstration in front of the Interior Ministry over their wages, as employees have taken courage out of the success of the protesters, to seek removal of oppressive bosses in their companies.
The authorities have imposed travel bans on three senior allies close to Mubarak and put a freeze on their assets, owing to pending investigations. Former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli and current Information Minister Anas al-Fekky were under investigations by the public prosecutor for alleged corruption involvements.
In spite of the suspended constitution, the communiqué stated that all international treaties will remain honoured.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the military announcement which confirmed upholding the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries, terming it as the cornerstone of peace in the Middle East.
Mubarak, 82, has ruled Egypt for 3 decades since the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981 by Islamist militants. His regime has been characterized by emergency law that gave the state power to arrest and curb basic freedoms, which the government claim has been necessary to combat Islamist terrorism.
Nairobi, Kenya
ICC Judges Criticise Ocampo’s Public Naming of Poll Violence Suspects
The International Criminal Court judges have strongly condemned court’s Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo for publicly naming the top six perpetrators of the Kenya’s 2007/08 post polls violence.
The three pre-trial chamber judges Ekaterina Trendafilova, Hans-Peter Kaul and Cuno Tarfusser ruled that naming of the six prime masterminds of the poll violence has subjected them to negative publicity, even before the court determines on whether they have a case to answer or not.
During last Friday’s ruling on an application by former police commissioner Major-General (rtd) Mohammed Hussein Ali to be enjoined in the proceedings of the pre-trial chambers, the judges said that the chamber was aware of the prejudice he has suffered due to the public disclosure of his name by the prosecutor.
They expressed concern of the prosecutor’s actions in their ruling, which they termed as to have the potential to affect administration of justice and integrity of the proceedings at the pre-trial chamber.
“In this respect, the Chamber expresses its deprecation regarding the Prosecutor's course of action in the present case, as it has unduly exposed the applicant to prejudicial publicity before a determination of the Chamber pursuant to Article 58 of the Statute has even been made,” they added.
Ali’s application was however rejected on the basis that the prosecutor’s request to summon the suspects would be conducted on an ex parte basis and he has no basis to be enjoined in the proceedings.
Earlier last wee,k Kenya’s permanent mission to the United Nations wrote formally to the UN Security Council, seeking for deferral of the trials by one year due to the prejudice caused by Ocampo’s move to publicise their names.
Apart from Ali, others enlisted were Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Civil Service head Francis Muthaura, suspended Cabinet ministers William Ruto, Henry Kosgey, and radio journalist Joshua arap Sang.
The African Union endorsed Kenya’s bid to pull out of the Rome Statute during its 16th heads of state summit in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa late last month. It wanted trial of the alleged six at The Hague based court to be deferred and their trial be replaced by a local tribunal.
The six are believed to have played the greatest role in the 2008 post-election violence, in which 1300 people died and over 650,000 were internally displaced.
President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga formed a power-sharing government in February 2008 following a mediation process chaired by former UN secretary general Dr Kofi Annan after violent protest over disputed December 2007presidential polls.