Ayman Nour

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Ayman Abd El Aziz Nour][1] (Arabic: أيمن عبد العزيز نور‎) (born on Dec. 5, 1964 to a father who was a lawyer and a Member of Parliament (MP) and a mother who established and supervised a number of charity projects in his birth town of Mansurah) is an Egyptian politician, a former member of the Egyptian Parliament and chairman of the El Ghad party.

He started his political career as a student activist. He was elected as President for the Egyptian High School Students’ Union in 1980. He graduated from the law school at Mansurah University and started his career in journalism in the 80s, in one of the most famous opposition newspapers called “El Wafd” after the El Wafd Party, the oldest liberal party in Egypt. He was married to Gamila Ismail, who was a TV presenter, a political activist and who became his spokeswoman.

Ayman Nour interviewed a number of Arab world leaders, including Yasser Arafat.

He wrote a number of books like “Liberalism is the solution” in 1992, the title of which was a play on the famous Islamic slogan “Islam is the solution”. He also wrote “The Black Soldier: Zaki Badr” who was at that time the Egyptian Interior Minister. He is thought to be the youngest member in the history of the Egyptian parliament as he was elected only few days after reaching the legal age for nomination.

In 2003, he demanded a war crime trial for George W. Bush & Tony Blair for the invasion of Iraq without UN permission.

He was re-elected for parliament in 2000 announcing his intention for running for the presidency after having 186 votes in the internal parliamentary elections (more than the third of the parliament, which was at the time the main condition for being a presidential candidate). Within a year, however, he was dismissed from the El Wafd party together with many of his colleagues in parliament. He helped establish a new liberal party, called “Al Ghad” i.e. "Tomorrow" in 2003.

He became famous around the world following his January 2005 imprisonment by the government of President Hosni Mubarak, which was widely understood as a politically motivated move by the state and caused a lot of internal anger as well as foreign pressure for his release. Ayman was released on health grounds on February 18, 2009.^[1]

Contents 1 Formation of El Ghad 2 Arrest and imprisonment 3 Party Leadership 4 See also 5 Notes 6 External links

[edit] Formation of El Ghad

The El Ghad party was formally recognized by the Egyptian government on October 27, 2004. Following its creation, Nour was elected president of the party at its first convention a few days later. His prominence as an independent MP made him the star of the party and one of the driving forces behind its organization. Nour fought hard to get the party recognized; its application was rejected three times before official status was finally granted.

The party was created to represent a liberal democratic perspective, with a strong interest in human rights issues. Nour used the party as a platform to call for constitutional reform, limiting the president's powers and opening presidential elections to multiple candidates.

[edit] Arrest and imprisonment

Nour was stripped of his parliamentary immunity and arrested on January 29, 2005. He was charged with forging PAs (Powers of Attorney) to secure the formation of the el-Ghad party. Nour vehemently denied the charges (from prison).

The arrest, occurring in an election year, was widely criticized by governments around the world as a step backwards for Egyptian democracy. Few seem to regard the charges as legitimate. Nour remained active despite his imprisonment, using the opportunity to write critical articles and make his case and cause better known.

In February 2005, Condoleezza Rice abruptly postponed a visit to Egypt, reflecting U.S. displeasure at the jailing of Nour, who was reported to have been brutally interrogated. ^[2] That same month, the government announced the following month that it would open elections to multiple candidates.

In March 2005, following a strong intervention in Cairo by a group of Members of the European Parliament led by Vice-President Edward McMillan-Scott (UK, Conservative), Nour was freed and began a campaign for the Egyptian presidency. ^[3]

Nour was the first runner-up in the 2005 presidential election with 7% of the vote according to government figures and estimated at 13% by independent observers, although no independent observers were allowed to monitor the elections.

On December 24, 2005 he was sentenced to five years in jail. Though diabetic, Nour engaged in a two-weeks long hunger strike to protest his trial.^[4]

Nour's verdict and sentencing made global headlines and were the first item of news on most international news broadcasts, including the BBC.

On the day of Nour's guilty verdict and sentencing, the White House Press Secretary released the following statement denouncing the government's action:^[5]

The United States is deeply troubled by the conviction today of Egyptian politician Ayman Nour by an Egyptian court. The conviction of Mr. Nour, the runner-up in Egypt's 2005 presidential elections, calls into question Egypt's commitment to democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. We are also disturbed by reports that Mr. Nour's health has seriously declined due to the hunger strike on which he has embarked in protest of the conditions of his trial and detention. The United States calls upon the Egyptian government to act under the laws of Egypt in the spirit of its professed desire for increased political openness and dialogue within Egyptian society, and out of humanitarian concern, to release Mr. Nour from detention.

In February 2006, Rice visited Hosni Mubarak yet never spoke Nour's name publicly. When asked about him at a news conference, she referred to his situation as one of Egypt's setbacks. Days later, Mubarak told a government newspaper that Rice "didn't bring up difficult issues or ask to change anything." From prison, Nour stated "I pay the price when [Rice] speaks [of me], and I pay the price when she doesn't," Nour said. "But what's happening to me now is a message to everybody."^[6]

In June 2007 President Bush, speaking at a conference of dissidents in the Czech Republic, revisited the issue of Ayman Nour, saying:^[7]

There are many dissidents who couldn't join us because they are being unjustly imprisoned or held under house arrest. I look forward to the day when a conference like this one include Alexander Kozulin of Belarus, Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, Oscar Elias Biscet of Cuba, Father Nguyen Van Ly of Vietnam, Ayman Nour of Egypt. (Applause.) The daughter of one of these political prisoners is in this room. I would like to say to her, and all the families: I thank you for your courage. I pray for your comfort and strength. And I call for the immediate and unconditional release of your loved ones. ... I have asked Secretary Rice to send a directive to every U.S. ambassador in an un-free nation: Seek out and meet with activists for democracy. Seek out those who demand human rights.

Nour was released on health grounds on 18 February 2009.^[1]

[edit] Party Leadership

Soon after, some members of the Tomorrow Party removed Nour from the presidency (a move which is supported by the Egyptian government and Nour's political opponents), but Nour is still the official president of "El Ghad Party". Today, the Council of the State is looking into the case filed by the divided party, taking into consideration that Nour is still officially the president and the other members were expelled from the party three days before their actions (which included claiming that they are the leaders of "El Ghad Party" and issuing a party newspaper opposing the law of press production and also entering the parliament elections under the "El Ghad" name despite the fact that they were expelled).

In November 2007, Gamila Ismail wife of Ayman Nour announced her resignation from her position as deputy chairman of the party without giving much more detail.^[8]

Current LIfe Mr.Nour is currently residing in Egypt and was recently attacked following another attempt at running for president.

[edit] See also

• Kefaya
• Tomorrow Party
• Saad Eddin Ibrahim

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Petition to free Ayman Nour
• "El Ghad" website
• Dissident Watch Profile
• Human Rights watch: Ayman Nur Trial Badly Flawed; Judge Jails Opposition Leader, Others, Without Explanation
• Egypt's Nur says government wants him to die in jail
• Ayman Nour Released: New Impetus for Egypt's Opposition? (Qantara.de)
• Interview with Ayman Nour: "I Won't Wait for the Regime to Give Me Its Blessings!"