USM president Selma Botman expressed support for ongoing anti-government protests in Egypt and condemned the violence that broke out in Cairo on Feb. 9 between protesters and supporters of President Hosni Mubarak. On her blog Botman, who holds a doctorate in Middle Eastern studies and lived in Egypt for over a year in the 1970s, condemned the government, accusing it of directing its supporters against protesters.
“Egyptians are crying out for the return of their dignity and the resurrection of their human rights,” wrote Botman last thursday.
Thousands of Egyptians have demonstrated daily for over two weeks, calling for an end to Mubarak’s 30 year rule, which has been marked by political repression and the imprisonment of thousands of political prisoners. The country has been under emergency law since 1981, and is ranked 133 out of 168 for freedom of the press by Reporters Without Borders.
President Mubarak has pledged to step down in September, but protests have continued unabated, calling for his immediate resignation. The government has entered talks with the a coalition of opposition groups, hoping to bring an end to the protests. According to the BBC, the Egyptian economy is losing around $310 million a day.
The BBC reported the protests as largely peaceful before the violence Wednesday. Botman accused the government of encouraging “thugs” to attack the protesters with weapons. “What had been a remarkably buoyant, disciplined mass event turned into an ugly street battle,” she wrote.”Let’s keep our attention on Cairo and hope that the forces of aggression and violence do not prevail.”