Sunday, November 30, 2014

Hong Kong Protests Close Down Government

Hong Kong Protests Close Down Government

Voice of America - ‎1 hour ago‎
Clashes in Hong Kong between pro-democracy protesters and police have closed government offices and parliament. Hundreds of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters clashed with police while trying to expand their protests outside government ...
Hong Kong violence flares as protests reignite
Clashes in Hong Kong as pro-democracy protests escalate
Hong Kong protesters clash with police
Hong Kong protesters clash with police near heart of financial district
Hong Kong protesters, police clash; 40 arrested

News / Asia

Hong Kong Protests Close Down Government

A riot policeman prevents pro-democracy protesters from getting near during clashes outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong, December 1, 2014.
A riot policeman prevents pro-democracy protesters from getting near during clashes outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong, December 1, 2014.
VOA News
Clashes in Hong Kong between pro-democracy protesters and police have closed government offices and parliament.   
Hundreds of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters clashed with police while trying to expand their protests outside government headquarters.
Demonstrators stormed past police lines early Monday in a bid to occupy a major road in the Admiralty district. Hundreds of riot police armed with pepper spray and batons pushed back, injuring several protesters and arresting at least 18.
Police officials said they "had no other choice" than to use pepper spray and batons in their effort to de-escalate the clashes.
It was the latest in a series of skirmishes between police and protesters in the past week. On Friday, authorities scuffled with student protesters while clearing barricades from a main road in the Mong Kok neighborhood. Several protesters were detained, including student leaders Lester Shum and Joshua Wong.
The protests have persisted since late September, but have been dwindling. Several recent public opinion polls suggest the protests are beginning to lose public support.
The demonstrators have been calling for fully democratic elections in 2017. They took to the streets after China ruled in August that all candidates for Hong Kong's chief executive must first be approved by a committee that is stacked with pro-Beijing loyalists.
end quote from:

Likely unless there had been more police officers Brown likely would have been shot

Darren Wilson's Testimony

After reading the testimony in the above article, I sort of come to the same conclusion as the Grand Jury. Unless there were more police officers there, likely there was no chance that Mr. Brown wouldn't have at least been shot if not killed.

So, if on the surface you simply take the fact that an unarmed man who was black was shot you might have one reaction. But, if you take these exact circumstances the officer at a certain point was just trying to stay alive because Brown was not co-operating with the officer.

Should Officer Wilson have backed off and followed the pair of men until backup arrived. Very Likely.

However, this might not have been possible or useful either. One can never know about something like this.

Did Brown rob a convenience store and intimidate people there before being confronted by Officer Wilson?

Yes. There is footage of this. Was Brown high on some kind of drug? Possibly. This I don't think was brought up in this article.

As a matter of principle should any unarmed man be shot by police?

No. But, situations can create this type of scenario we have here especially if someone is harming another person be that an officer of the law or another innocent person.

However, I think the real problem here is that the laws of Missouri are getting black men killed by police whether they deserve to be or not.

So, a lot of thought needs to be put into how the people of Missouri are going to deal with all this.

Driving on Ice Downhill in your car or truck

If you haven't done this before because you live somewhere this isn't what you have to do every single winter the key to doing this well is to:

If you can afford it have an SUV or Pickup truck that is either All Wheel Drive or 4 wheel drive (either one). Then it really helps if you have one of the newer automatic transmissions where you can shift it into low in some way with the capacity to shif between all the gears through a button or lever somehow. Though stick shifts many people prefer for mileage and other reasons, actually it is usually safer to have an automatic transmission in the snow for many reasons as long as you have the capacity to easily shift it to from one gear to the other.

So, you are driving basically on a sheet of glass downhill with possibly other cars in a line. The first thing you want is that everyone else knows how to drive in these kinds of conditions. Otherwise you all might crash if any one makes a mistake on a steep enough slope.

So, unless you absolutely have to you don't want to be in this position unless you think it is sort of fun and something you just have to do or you have to drive to work or school.

The basic idea is that try to never use your brakes except in complete emergencies. So, whatever speed is safe to travel at be in the lowest gear possible so the engine is holding you back with all four wheels pulling back on the engine. Flick your eyes on the tachometer every so often too because in most cars you don't want to go above 4000 or 5000 rpm anytime you are doing this. So, be very careful shifting unless your life or someone else's life depends upon it and you are planning to sacrifice the car or the engine.

So, like I said try not to ever put on your brakes while driving down hill on a sheet of ice, especially if it isn't rocked. Or even if it is it is sort of like in many situations like today 3 inches of ice with rocks forced into it by people driving over it. It's still a sheet of ice that you can easily slide off of. So, remember what you are driving on when it is a sheet of white Ice or black ice. It's usually easy to tell in most situations if you look carefully at it especially in the daytime.

Also, remember never to drive on a sheet of ice downhill in the dark if you have any other choice because there are just too many things that could go wrong to be doing this unless people's lives are at stake and it is a completely emergency.

Ski Lifts

The problem with all ski lifts is they aren't perfect. Just like cars if the weather is too cold they freeze up in some ways, especially where you get off them. So, getting off the ski lift today the seat rose up because there was some ice where it shouldn't be which sort of left me in mid air over a 45 degree angle ice slope. Because I didn't expect this I landed on the ice pretty hard and bruised my right hip. Do I blame the lift operators or lift for this. Actually no because I actually understand basic mechanics when interconnected with weather too cold. For example, when this happened it likely was between 15 and 18 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are skiing lower than about 20 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit just expect problems with snow (ice) and with ski lifts (Ice) which is going to cause you to get injured.

Luckily, nothing was injured on me on the slopes and I have a bruise on my right hip bigger than my right hand with half of it weeping and the other half purple. However, if you are going to ski on ski lifts this is just part of the fun in the end.

One poor soul broke his leg today and I saw the rescue bag and sled he had ridden down on and in and the wheelchair they put him on to get him out of the cold nearby the fireplace until the ambulance arrived from far away. Looked like a compound fracture the way they had it set up.

After I got off the lift I watched three more groups of people fall right where I did too. Really cold weather and ski lifts don't work very well together below about 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Also, the lift operators don't want the other 100 to 300 people or so riding the lifts up to turn into popsicles while every other group gets tossed into the air. So, hundreds of lives are at risk in various ways when  lift is in operation below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and the winds are at least 20 to 30 miles per hour in gusts of blowing snow.

I  was really glad I had my new ski gloves and my wool balaclava and my hood of my ski jacket today. At one point my little finger I was worried about how cold it got but then again that is par for the course on the first day of skiing for me this year.

Today was kind of borderline but still fun. There wasn't enough snow some places so hitting rocks and branches or fallen trees was pretty common if you were exactly in the right trough of snow going down. Also, I wasn't very familiar with this route so there were many surprises the first time down.

However, by the 2nd time down it was kind of fun once I had found the route I would be happy with and wouldn't kill myself on.

One of the routes led to an almost cliff with a 45 Degree slope. So, snowboarders often like this sort of thing if they are really good. However, the top 10 feet of the cliff like incline was barely covered boulders and rocks today. So, I was really glad I had chosen another route when I was below it and looked up at it. Because from above you don't see any of the half covered boulders. But, any day of skiing you can walk away from  and still laugh about is a good day of skiing!

Saturday, November 29, 2014

"Bordering on Terrorism: Turkey’s Syria Policy and the Rise of the Islamic State"

"Bordering on Terrorism: Turkey’s Syria Policy and the Rise of the Islamic State"

I haven't read this because I couldn't get it to load right. It was a part of the article:U.S. on collision course with Turkey

However, the title looked interesting and maybe the article is interesting too. 

U.S. on collision course with Turkey


Darren Wilson's Testimony


Ferguson decision: Darren Wilson's testimony

A protester displays a placard depicting 18-year-old Michael Brown on 24 November 2014
The St Louis County prosecutor's office has released the full grand jury report after its decision not to charge Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.
The 12-person jury heard more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses, many giving conflicting statements.
Here are extracts from various testimonies:
line
Police officer Darren Wilson Mr Wilson said he had initially encountered Mr Brown and a friend walking in a road and told them to move to the pavement, drawing an expletive from Mr Brown.
Mr Wilson said he noticed Mr Brown had a handful of cigars. "And that's when it clicked" for him, he said, that the men were suspects in a theft at a convenience store reported minutes earlier.
Darren Wilson Prosecutors released this photo of injuries sustained by Mr Wilson
He asked a dispatcher to send additional officers, then reversed his vehicle so that it was in front of Mr Brown and his friend.
As he tried to open the door, Mr Brown slammed it shut. Mr Wilson said he pushed Mr Brown with the door and Mr Brown hit him in the face.
He drew his gun and threatened to shoot if Mr Brown didn't move back, fearing another punch to the face could "knock me out or worse".
Darren Wilson testimony
Mr Brown immediately grabbed Mr Wilson's gun and said: "You are too much of a pussy to shoot me." The officer said he thought he was going to be shot when Mr Brown dug the gun into his hip.
Mr Wilson said he managed to pull the trigger and the gun "clicked" twice without firing, before a shot went through the police car door.
Mr Wilson said Mr Brown stepped back and then looked at him with the "most intense, aggressive face".
"The only way I can describe it, it looks like a demon, that's how angry he looked. He comes back towards me again with his hands up."
Mr Wilson said he covered his face and fired the gun again, firing two shots in the car before Mr Brown ran off and he followed him.
When Mr Brown stopped, Mr Wilson told him to get on the ground. He said he fired a series of shots when Mr Brown kept coming towards him and put his right hand under his shirt in the waistband of his trousers.
Darren Wilson testimony
He said he fired another round of shots as Mr Brown continued to gain on him, approaching as if he was going to tackle him.
Read more of Darren Wilson's testimony (Warning: Explicit language)
line
Michael Brown's friend: Dorian Johnson Mr Johnson said he was stunned when Mr Brown stole cigarillos from the store and expected to be arrested while they were walking home.
Mr Wilson drove on after originally telling them to get on the pavement, reversing his vehicle and coming back at the pair after they ignored his demand.
A series of CCTV pictures showing a robbery in a store in Ferguson Dorian Johnson said he thought the pair would be arrested
"After he pulled back, there was no more sidewalk talk, it was nothing, it was just anger."
He said Mr Wilson had opened his door suddenly, striking Mr Brown, then closed the door and grabbed Mr Brown by the neck. He said the two men engaged in a "tug of war", each holding on to the other's shirt and arms.
As the two wrestled, Mr Johnson said he heard Mr Wilson say: "I'll shoot." He said he never saw Mr Brown punch Mr Wilson and did not think he grabbed the officer's gun.
Dorian Johnson testimony
Mr Johnson described being in shock as he realised the situation was getting out of control.
"At the time I couldn't open my mouth. I couldn't speak.. I can see and hear the cuss words. I can see the frowns on their faces getting more intense."
After the initial shots were fired, Mr Johnson said he and Mr Brown ran off. After Mr Wilson shot again, he said Mr Brown stopped running and turned to face the officer.
Dorian Johnson testimony
"At that time Big Mike's hands was up, but not so much in the air because he had been struck... he said I don't have a gun but he's still mad, he still has his angry face. I don't have a gun... And before he can say the second sentence or before he can even get it out, that's when several more shots came."
Mr Johnson was asked if Mr Brown ran at the officer prior to the fatal volley. He insisted he did not.
line
Unnamed witness 1 He was working in a nearby building and saw Mr Brown leaning through the police car window and "some sort of confrontation was taking place".
He said a shot rang out and Mr Brown fled as the officer chased him with his gun drawn.
The witness said Mr Brown stopped and turned but never raised his hands. He said Mr Brown "ran towards the officer full charge". The officer then fired several shots but Mr Brown kept rushing toward him.
line
Unnamed witness 2 She and her husband were visiting a nearby apartment complex when they saw the shooting.
She said after the first two shots were fired, Mr Brown began running from Mr Wilson's vehicle but stopped, turned around and started heading toward Mr Wilson, who shot at him.
When asked if it appeared Mr Brown was approaching Mr Wilson in a threatening manner, she said: "No, he wasn't... I think he was stunned."
line
Diagram
end quote from:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30189966

Timberline Lodge at Sunset

This is a cool picture of Timberline Lodge at around 6000 feet on the side of Mt. Hood in Oregon. The temperature outside is somewhere likely between about 5 and 15 degrees Fahrenheit right now. This photo was likely taken some year between February and April.

ISIL Launches attack on Syria's Kobani from Turkey


ISIS Launches Attack On Syria's Kobani From Turkey: Activists

Posted: Updated:
KOBANI
BEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic State group launched an attack Saturday on the Syrian border town of Kobani from Turkey, a Kurdish official and activists said, although Turkey denied that the fighters had used its territory for the raid.
The assault began when a suicide bomber driving an armored vehicle detonated his explosives on the border crossing between Kobani and Turkey, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Nawaf Khalil, a spokesman for Syria's powerful Kurdish Democratic Union Party.
The Islamic State group "used to attack the town from three sides," Khalil said. "Today, they are attacking from four sides."
Turkey, while previously backing the Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad in that country's civil war, has been hesitant to aid them in Kobani because it fears that could stoke Kurdish ambitions for an independent state.
A Turkish government statement on Saturday confirmed that one of the suicide attacks involved a bomb-loaded vehicle that detonated on the Syrian side of the border. But it denied that the vehicle had crossed into Kobani through Turkey, which would be a first for the extremist fighters.
"Claims that the vehicle reached the border gate by crossing through Turkish soil are a lie," read the statement released from the government press office at the border town of Suruc. "Contrary to certain claims, no Turkish official has made any statement claiming that the bomb-loaded vehicle had crossed in from Turkey."
"The security forces who are on alert in the border region have ... taken all necessary measures," the statement continued.
Associated Press journalists saw thick black smoke rise over Kobani during the attack. The sound of heavy gunfire echoed through the surrounding hills as armored vehicles took up positions on the border. The Observatory said heavy fighting also took place southwest of the town where the Islamic State group brought in tanks to reinforce their fighters.
Video from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights purporting to show ISIS militants firing from inside Turkish territory:


Mustafa Bali, a Kobani-based activist, said by telephone that Islamic State group fighters have taken positions in the grain silos on the Turkish side of the border and from there are launching attacks toward the border crossing point. He added that the U.S.-led coalition launched an airstrike Saturday morning on the eastern side of the town.
"It is now clear that Turkey is openly cooperating with Daesh," Bali said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. Later in the day, he said the situation was relatively calm on the border after a day of heavy clashes.
The Islamic State group claimed three suicide attacks in Kobani's border crossing point, the SITE Intelligence Group reported. The group, quoting Twitter accounts linked to the militants, said the suicide attacks were carried out by a Saudi and a Turkmen, adding that one of them was driving a Humvee.
The Islamic State group began its Kobani offensive in mid-September, capturing parts of the town as well as dozens of nearby villages. The town later became the focus of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition against the militants.
Kurdish fighters slowly have been advancing in Kobani since late October, when dozens of well-armed Iraqi peshmerga fighters joined fellow Syrian Kurds in the battles. The fighting has killed hundreds of fighters on both sides over the past two months.
The Observatory said Saturday the latest fighting killed at least eight Kurdish fighters and 17 jihadis.
Syria's Foreign Minister said in a television interview aired Friday night that the U.S.-led coalition's weeks of airstrikes against militants in Syria had not weakened the Islamic State group. Washington and the U.N. Security Council "should force Turkey to tighten control" of its border in order to help defeat militants, he added.
"Is Daesh today, after two months of coalition airstrikes, weaker? All indications show that it is not weaker," al-Moallem told Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV.
The Islamic State group has declared a self-styled Islamic caliphate in areas under its control in Iraq and Syria, governing it according to its violent interpretation of Shariah law. The group has carried out mass killings targeting government security forces, ethnic minorities and others against it.

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey.

end quote from:

ISIS Launches Attack On Syria's Kobani From Turkey: Activists

Huffington Post - ‎34 minutes ago‎
The assault began when a suicide bomber driving an armored vehicle detonated his explosives on the border crossing between Kobani and Turkey, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Nawaf Khalil, a spokesman for Syria's ...
At least 40 fighters killed in Syrian city of Kobani
At least 40 fighters killed in northern Syria
Latest fighting in Kobani, Syria

Egyptian Judges Drop All Charges Against Mubarak

Egyptian Judges Drop All Charges Against Mubarak

New York Times-30 minutes ago
CAIRO — An Egyptian court dropped all remaining criminal charges against former President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday in a sweeping ...
Egypt Court Drops Murder Charges Against Mubarak
In-Depth-Wall Street Journal-1 hour ago

Egyptian Judges Drop All Charges Against Mubarak

Photo
Hosni Mubarak, the 86-year-old former president of Egypt, was brought back to a military hospital after a court appearance on Saturday. Credit Khaled Elfiqi/European Pressphoto Agency
Continue reading the main story Share This Page
CAIRO — An Egyptian court dropped all remaining criminal charges against former President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday in a sweeping repudiation of the Arab Spring uprising that forced him from power.
The court dismissed murder charges against Mr. Mubarak in the killing of protesters demanding an end to his 30-year rule — charges that once inspired crowds to hang the president’s effigy from the lampposts of Tahrir Square in Cairo and captivated the region. His reviled security chief and a half-dozen top police officials were acquitted.
The court also acquitted Mr. Mubarak, his two sons and a wealthy business associate of corruption charges; the three others had come to personify the rampant self-dealing of Mr. Mubarak’s era as much as the president himself.
If normal legal procedures are followed, Mr. Mubarak could soon go free for the first time since his top generals removed him from power amid a popular revolt in 2011, although it was not clear whether those rules would be adhered to.
Photo
Opponents of former President Hosni Mubarak took in the news in Cairo of his legal victory on Saturday. Credit Mohamed El-Shahed/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
About 1,000 demonstrators gathered around Tahrir Square at night to protest the decision, but heavily armed security forces had closed off the traffic circle. By 9 p.m., the police were firing tear gas and birdshot to drive away the crowds, and by midnight state news media reported that at least one person had been killed and more than 85 were arrested.
More than five months after the inauguration of a military-backed strongman, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the authorities appeared to calculate that the Egyptian public was so weary of unrest that it had lost a desire for retribution against Mr. Mubarak, or at least that they now had a firm enough grip to suppress any backlash.
“Today’s verdict indicates a very deliberate decision by the regime to continue on the path of rewriting the history that led to Mubarak’s ouster and closing the file on the Jan. 25 revolution,” said Hossam Bahgat, a journalist and human rights advocate who had cheered on that revolt and is now studying in New York.
The council of generals who took power from Mr. Mubarak had feared a public backlash too much to ever allow the former president’s release, but Mr. Sisi’s government felt no such compunction, Mr. Bahgat said. “They are not afraid. They are perfectly capable of letting him walk free, and they feel no pressure to hold him accountable.”
Mr. Mubarak, 86, who has been held at a military hospital because of frail health, appeared in court on a stretcher in sunglasses, a blue necktie and sweater. He remained stone-faced as the chief judge, Mahmoud Kamel al-Rashidi, read the verdict. Only at the end did he allow himself a smile as his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, hugged and kissed him.
A short time later, Mr. Mubarak was photographed waving to admirers from a hospital balcony. In a telephone interview with a supportive, pro-government talk show host, the former president scoffed at an earlier guilty verdict against him. “I laughed when I heard the first verdict,” he said. He suggested a conspiracy had been behind the 2011 uprising.
“They turned on us,” he said, and when asked if he meant “the Americans,” he replied that he could not explain over the phone. “I can’t tell you if it’s the Americans or who.”
Judge Rashidi, who led a panel of three judges, did not elaborate from the bench on their reasoning, pointing instead to a 280-page summary of their 1,340-page explanation of the case.
He insisted that the ruling had “nothing to do with politics.” He acknowledged the “feebleness” and corruption of Mr. Mubarak’s later years in power, and he saluted the rallying cry of the 2011 revolution — bread, freedom and social justice.
But at other times he sounded sympathetic to the former president. “To rule for or against him after he has become old will be left to history and the Judge of Judges,” he said.
Judge Rashidi did not explain from the bench why he had dismissed the murder charges. Legal analysts said the judge had faulted the way Mr. Mubarak had been added to an existing case. He acquitted Mr. Mubarak and his friend the businessman Hussein Salem of corruption charges involving allegations that they had conspired to sell Egyptian natural gas to Israel at below-market prices. And he acquitted Mr. Mubarak and his sons of charges that Mr. Salem gave them vacation homes on the Red Sea as kickbacks in a land deal. (Mr. Salem fled to Spain in 2011 and was tried in absentia.)
In May, Mr. Mubarak was sentenced to three years in prison in a separate corruption case involving lavish, government-funded improvements to his and his sons’ private homes. But he has now spent more than three years in custody on various charges, and under Egyptian law he has thus served the requisite time and could be released.
Egypt’s public prosecutor said Saturday that he would appeal the new decision.
Sayid Abdel Latif, whose son Mohamed was a demonstrator killed by police in the uprising, said he had given up hope for justice. “Is there anyone who would put himself on trial? Mubarak’s regime is still in place,” he said.
“The January revolution is over; they ended it,” he said. “We thought Sisi would bring us our rights, but he is one of them.”
Photo
Supporters of Mr. Mubarak, who may be released from custody. Credit Mohamed Kamal/European Pressphoto Agency
The first sessions of Mr. Mubarak’s trial were often rowdy and loud, with a courtroom full of human rights lawyers demanding retribution for the demonstrators who had been killed and for decades of brutal autocracy.
But the changed context was evident from the start. Judge Rashidi warned that anyone who interrupted his reading of the decision would be sentenced to a year in jail, and the spectators stayed obediently quiet.
And the courtroom was packed with Mubarak supporters instead of human rights lawyers. As soon as the judge finished, the room erupted in jubilation.
Commentators in the state-run and pro-government news media suggested that it was time to move on from the 2011 revolution and its messy aftermath. “We have to turn this page, and the long state of argument that has lasted for years,” Dalia Ziada, director of the Liberal Democracy Institute and a supporter of Mr. Sisi, said in an interview.
But with Mr. Mubarak no longer on trial, she also suggested that it might be time to explore a favorite theory of Mubarak supporters: that the demonstrators had been shot not by the police, but by Islamists with the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood dominated Egypt’s free elections, but has been outlawed and suppressed under Mr. Sisi; the pro-government news media has sometimes floated improbable scenarios in which the Brotherhood both participated in the demonstrations and shot at the demonstrators.
“Who killed the protesters?” Ms. Ziada asked, suggesting that investigators examine “all sides accused, even those that were maybe not present in today’s case — for example, the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Legal experts said the ultimate outcome of the case had been increasingly clear, in part because of a flawed prosecution.
Prosecutors originally appointed by Mr. Mubarak had rushed the charges to court in the months after his ouster to appease the public’s wrath at their former ruler. But the murder charges were difficult to prove because of the many layers in the Egyptian military’s chain of command and the broad latitude for self-defense given to the police. Lawyers for victims often complained that security forces were withholding evidence or refusing to cooperate.
The corruption charges appeared to have been thrown together hastily, without a thorough review of the many other allegations related to Mr. Mubarak’s rule.
Mr. Mubarak first faced the same charges in a trial that ended in 2012, while the transitional council of military generals was still in power. Evidently bowing to political pressure, that judge sentenced Mr. Mubarak to life in prison for the killings of the protesters but simultaneously acknowledged a lack of evidence. He acquitted everyone below Mr. Mubarak in the chain of command within the security forces, and threw out land-related corruption charges on technical grounds and ruled against the gas charges.
An appeals court threw out the verdict and ordered the retrial that ended in Saturday’s decision.
“The judges were basically collaborating with Mubarak from the first scene,” said Khaled Ali, a human rights lawyer and former presidential candidate. “It was not a trial, just a game they are playing with the people, to relieve them and then enslave them again.”
The political climate now is starkly different. Mr. Sisi, the former general who last year led the military takeover that ousted Egypt’s elected Islamist government, has consolidated power and surrounded himself with former Mubarak advisers.
State-run and pro-government news media now routinely denounce the pro-democracy activists who led the 2011 uprising as a “fifth column” out to undermine the state. Some of the most prominent activists are in prison, and the Islamists who won free elections are now jailed as terrorists along with thousands of their supporters.
Mohamed Morsi, the deposed president and a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, is now facing several trials in the same courtroom, some for charges that could carry the death penalty.
As the prison doors revolve, many of the most despised figures of the Mubarak era, such as Ahmed Ezz, the ruling party power broker and business tycoon, have already been released on charges brought against them in the heat of the 2011 uprising.