Soldiers detain a man in Tahrir Square, Cairo April 12, 2011. Egyptian soldiers and police moved into Cairo's main square on Tuesday to end a five-day sit-in by protesters demanding civilian rule and swifter prosecution of disgraced former officials.ASMAA WAGUIH/Reuters
The creeping authoritarianism of Egypt's new/old government is troubling. The revolution will not be complete as long as the country's 19-man Supreme Council of Armed Forces is in control.
Over the weekend, the military attacked protesters and aggressively broke up a sit-in in Tahrir Square, which only weeks earlier was the hopeful epicentre of the 18-day uprising that brought down President Hosni Mubarak.
On Monday, a political activist who dared to criticize the military was sentenced to three years in prison. His crime? Mikel Nabil published an article on his blog claiming the army was involved in torturing detainees during the Jan. 25 revolution. Instead of pledging to investigate these serious allegations, a military court found him guilty of "insulting" the Armed Forces and publishing false information. The government has failed to respond to persistent accusations of human rights violations.
Egyptians are demanding and expecting change, including civil liberties and freedom of expression. The Supreme Council cannot merely affirm its commitment to the people's revolution; it must pass laws and enact reforms to underscore this commitment. It must hasten the promised corruption prosecutions against Mr. Mubarak, as well as high-ranking members of his regime, including Safwat al-Sherif, the former speaker of the Shura Council, and Zakaria Azmy, who had been the ex-president's chief of staff.
The new constitution, passed overwhelmingly in a referendum last month, places term limits on the presidency. However, it did not go far enough to limit presidential power. It circumscribed, but did not eliminate, the emergency-law power.
Only when the military gives up its absolute hold on power will citizens feel they have a voice in Egypt's political process. Until then, protesters will continue to stage sit-ins in Tahrir Square, which is their democratic right. Let the revolution unfold.