By Heba Fahmy
CAIRO: A Tahrir Square protester on hunger strike has asked to be transferred to the International Sharm El-Sheikh Hospital to be treated there like ousted President Hosni Mubarak, a public hospital official said, noting that another protester was already sent to the Red Sea resort hospital for treatment.
According to General Director of the El-Mounira Hospital, Mohamed Shawqi, said, Ayman Abou Zeid, is currently being treated in the International Sharm El-Sheikh Hospital and has ended his hunger strike, while the latest case, Abdel Rahman Imam, is making the same demand.
One of more than 30 protesters on hunger strike for the ninth day in Tahrir, Imam, member of the Democratic Front Party, was admitted into El-Mounira Hospital on Monday, after collapsing.
Imam told DNE that the hospital initially refused to admit him when they knew that he was on hunger strike and that they kept him waiting at the reception desk for two hours before giving him emergency treatment.
However, Mahmoud Saad, assistant director of El-Mounira Hospital denied claims that the hospital had refused to admit him, saying they welcome all patients.
“We receive patients on a daily basis from Tahrir Square and we never turn anyone away,” he told DNE.
Imam suffered from a drop in his blood sugar and was in a very weak state, according to hospital officials.
At first he refused to eat or accept any food supplements, but Shawqi said that he convinced him to eat and personally fed him at midnight on Tuesday.
Imam demanded that he be transferred to the International Sharm El-Sheikh Hospital to be treated there like ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
“I’m an Egyptian citizen and it’s my right to be treated in Sharm El-Sheikh hospital like Mubarak,” Imam said.
Imam is expected to be released from hospital on Wednesday but said that he would resume the hunger strike if he’s not transferred to the hospital in Sharm El-Sheikh.
However the rest of the protesters who continued their hunger strike had a different set of demands including, sacking the Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud and transferring Mubarak from Sharm El-Sheikh to Tora Prison in Cairo.
“The Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) said it didn’t have the jurisdiction to execute these demands,” said Ahmed Abdel Salam, member of the Democratic Front Party.
“If the rulers of our country can’t implement our demands, then who can?” he asked.
The protesters downplayed the significance of the cabinet reshuffle, saying Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s move was “cosmetic.”
“All ministers affiliated with the former corrupt regime, should be sacked including Faiza Aboul Naga [Minister of International Cooperation],” said Haitham Hamouda, head of the youth political committee of the Democratic Front Party.
Hamouda said that 25 members of the Democratic Front Party were on strike.
Around four other independent protesters joined the hunger strike four days ago and were stationed in front of the Mugamma, the government’s administrative complex, while others were dispersed around the square.
“The revolution succeeded, but we still need to complete it to the end,” Mahmoud Ismail, 22, said.
Nasser Mansour demanded that the martyrs’ families be compensated for their loss, the swift prosecution of those responsible for killing the martyrs and injuring protesters and setting reasonable minimum and maximum wages.
“When you see someone being subjected to grave injustice and do nothing to support them then you don’t deserve to live,” said Mansour, referring to the martyrs’ families.
In the meantime, around 24 Libyan students toured Tahrir Square on Tuesday, singing national songs and waving Libyan flags.
“Tahrir Square is the symbol of freedom,” Firas Abou Salloum, 22, said.
The students came to Egypt to attend a journalism course and are planning to stay until July 22.
“All the Egyptian people have showed us great support and supported us every way they could,” Abou Salloum said.
He said he believed that the end of the rule of Libyan President Moammar Qaddafi was near.
“There is no future (for Libya) with Qaddafi,” he said.
