CAIRO: United States presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, both condemn the detention of Ayman Nour, ex-presidential candidate and founder of Al Ghad Party, and the US Congress will issue a resolution calling for Nour’s release, said democracy activist, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, chairman of the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies.
According to independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm, the self-exiled Ibrahim made these statements during an online conference at a general meeting of the Democratic Front Party in Cairo.
Ibrahim said that the US Congress is currently preparing resolution 1303 which discusses Nour’s and other cases of human rights violations and discrimination against minorities in Egypt. He added that the Egyptian embassy in the US is trying to impede the approval of this resolution and is preparing a response for it.
Members of Al-Ghad Party hope these measures would make a difference in Nour’s case.
“This is a window of opportunity to show the world how the ruling party in Egypt deals with the opposition, said Nagy El Batrissy, member of Al-Ghad.
Ibrahim is a noted advocate for the release of Nour. In May 2006, he sent an open letter to the European Parliament on Nour’s behalf in which he called on them to keep a close eye on the Egyptian scene and demand justice.
“Use your liberty to liberate Nour and help Egypt become a democracy, he said in the letter posted on the Free Ayman Nour website.
Ibrahim himself is in serious trouble with the Egyptian government. Last month he was sentenced in absentia to three years in jail with hard labor or a fine of LE 10,000 by the Khalifa Felonies Court, in addition to 20 other charges which are still pending.
According to media reports, Nour sent a letter to President Hosni Mubarak a couple of days ago. In the letter he holds Mubarak responsible for his life which he believes is in danger inside prison as he has proof that there are “supreme orders not to release him from prison alive.
Last month, Nour sent a letter to United States presidential hopeful Barack Obama detailing his clashes with the ruling party and outlining the fine points of his case.
“This was originally an article by Ayman Nour that was sent to the Washington Post, where it was supposed to be published, Gamila Ismail, Nour’s wife, told Daily News Egypt at the time.
“We are not sure when exactly it is going to be published and if they [the Washington Post] will publish it after an Egyptian newspaper did . it is now available on numerous political websites, she added.
