Egypt: Statement of the Maadi, Besatin and Dar el-Salam Committee for the Defence of the Revolution

We republish here a statement from the Committee for the Defence of the Revolution of the south Cairo neighbourhoods of Maadi, Besatin and Dar el-Salam. Such CDRs were established during the revolutionary uprising which led to the overthrow of Mubarak and they exist in several Cairo neighbourhoods, but also in other cities, including the industrial centre of Helwan.

While we do not necessarily agree with all their demands, they generally go in the correct direction of furthering the revolution and introducing genuine democracy. The most important thing is that workers and youth are organising such Committees as organisations of struggle and that will inevitably bring them into conflict with the ruling class which wants to introduce only cosmetic reforms but maintaining their system of domination intact.

The revolution continues

The blood from the martyrs has not yet dried. It asks us to continue our uprising that has the goal to achieve our demands and not be ruled by criminals. The revolution has achieved something great by the fall of the tyrant and many of his supporters. But it has to be underlined that many of the aims of the revolution have not yet been achieved, because the current rulers in our country prevent it. This requires that we continue the revolution in many forms by among other things strikes, sit-ins and uprisings. Besides that a Committees for the Defence of the Revolution should be established in the neighbourhoods, cities and villages, so we can preserve the gains that the revolution has achieved, with the following demands:

1. The struggle for civilian rule is achieved by broader public and private liberty rights; such as the freedom to organise political parties, trade unions, trade union federations and freedom of the press, expression, opinions and believes.
2. The establishing of a national civilian government excluding the National Party, its officials and former presidential candidates. The council should consist of 5 judges from the Court of Cassation so that the army return to the barracks within one month.
3. The President's people, his current and former officials, ministers and presidents within the last thirty years to face trial for the crimes and corruption they committed. Furthermore their fortunes must be confiscated both at home and abroad so that they can be used to build factories and economic projects, with the purpose of helping solve the problem of unemployment.
4. The election of a constituent assembly to draft a democratic constitution for the new republic
5. Renationalisation of all state-owned land sold to thieves as businessmen and the corrupt regime over 30 years that should be directed to establish a fund to build homes for the youth.
6. Introduction of a progressive tax duty for all millionaires with the purpose of financing a minimum wage (1500 Egyptian pounds) for all workers and that the maximum wage does not exceed ten times the minimum.
7. Prosecution of the leaders of the Ministry of the Interior and those who participated in the killing of the protesters, innocents and the many thousands who were wounded, and the implementation of a system of appropriate compensation. This should give compensation to the families of both the dead and the wounded and those who need treatment should receive it at the expense of the state.
8. All political related prisoners to be released, both those arrested before and after January 25.
9. The dissolution of the state's Central Investigation and Central Security Units, a ban against the use of weapons in the repression of protest movements and a limitation of the role of the police in maintaining security under the peoples supervision.

Let us together support the establishment of Committee to Defend the Revolution in all neighbourhoods, cities and villages.

Long live the Peoples January 25 revolution

Eternal glory to our loyal martyrs

The Committee for the Defence of the Revolution – Maadi, Besatin and Dar el-Salam