Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 16 - 22 November 2000 Issue No.508
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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Capitalising on the clampdown

By Amira Howeidy

Security forces intensified their crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood prior to Tuesday's run-offs in the third and final stage of parliamentary elections, in which the outlawed group fielded seven candidates as independents. Arrests included Massoud El-Sebhi, private secretary of Mustafa Mashhour, the Brotherhood's supreme guide, and six others, most of whom are lawyers.

Last Thursday, the state security prosecutor ordered the arrest of 27 Brotherhood members. However, only seven of them were taken into custody. The rest are still on the run. The prosecutor charged El-Sebhi and the 26 others with "exploiting the run-offs [of the second stage held on 4 November] to incite the masses against the government," and with "preparing to use video cameras to film the police as they confront the violations committed by supporters of Brotherhood candidates -- all to imply that security forces are preventing voters from casting their ballots."

According to Brotherhood lawyer Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maqsoud, the arrests raised to approximately 1,600 the number of those who have been remanded in custody since the beginning of October. Meanwhile, 2,400 more remain in detention under the emergency law.

"Most of those arrested are lawyers, but I don't think that this is directly related to the upcoming Bar Association elections," Abdel-Maqsoud speculated. "It seems that the arrests were linked to Tuesday's run-offs, as they are mainly in constituencies where Brotherhood candidates are running."

In apparent corroboration of this argument, security forces briefly arrested candidate Hussein El-Derg last Saturday night while he was touring his Shubra Al-Kheima constituency. His proxy, Hussein Abdel-Latif, has been remanded in custody.

Another candidate, Abdel-Fattah Rezk, who is running in the Cairo constituency of Maadi, said that approximately 120 of his supporters, relatives and acquaintances were arrested since the first round of the third stage, held on 8 November. But this "has resulted in greater sympathy from voters," he told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Not only has the outlawed group gained confidence in its ability to win parliamentary seats -- gaining 15 in the first and second stages -- which previously seemed an impossible objective but it has also realised that the security clampdown has helped publicise its position and even garnered it greater sympathy. Also, by sending what seemed to be non-stop telefaxed messages to the press and media, everyone remotely interested in the elections became very much in the know regarding how the outlawed group was faring.

A statement issued by the Brotherhood on Monday entitled "Security authorities set to suppress the right of voters to choose candidates" listed the names and telephone numbers of, and biographical outlines for, each of the seven candidates contesting Tuesday's run-offs.

"The warnings and threats directed by security forces at the candidates of the Islamist trend mean that -- in addition to the security siege imposed on them and which prevents them from adequate campaigning and explaining their political platforms -- the run-offs will witness even more severe methods than those used in the first round of the third stage," the statement read. It also claimed that the actions of security forces aimed at "preventing voters from voting for Islamist trend candidates, as well as saving the public figures of the National Democratic Party (NDP) from losing." This was, the statement claimed, manifested by what it referred to as the harassment of the Brotherhood's Giza candidate, Abul-Ela Qurani, and the brief arrest of El-Derg. The statement concluded by warning that the run-offs will witness "more oppression," especially in the Hawamdiya constituency in Giza, Maadi and Shubra Al-Kheima.

The seven Brotherhood candidates are Ali Fath El-Bab (the only member of the group to have a seat in the outgoing parliament) in Al-Tebbin constituency, Abdel-Fattah Rezk in Maadi, Abul-Ela Qurani in Al-Hawamdiya (Giza), Azab Mustafa in Giza, Khaled Ouda in Assiut (Upper Egypt), Abdel-Meguid Heikal and Hussein El-Derg in Qalyoubiya.

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Related stories:
Registering the aftershocks
Rough riding in round three
A new page for the Brotherhood? 9 -15 November 2000
Against the odds 2 - 8 November 2000
The Brothers' last sigh? 5 - 11 October 2000
See Elections 2000

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