| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
« July 2006 | Main | September 2006 »
The new attorney general, Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud, gave instructions to release all prisoners and stop the trial of any journalist who was accused of publication offenses and at risk of being jailed. Mahmoud was applying the new law on publication offenses, Law 147 of 2006, issued this year amid tensions between the government and political reform activists.
Fourteen political detainees began a hunger strike in the Northern city of Damanhour, in the Delta province of Behera. The group of detainees was held for two years and accused of creating an illegal organization that wants to overthrow the government. They are kept in custody despite a state security court ruling calling for their release. They are currently protesting against the harsh conditions of their detention that has led to the deterioration of their health condition.
Egyptian authorities agreed to abide by a state security court verdict to release members of the Jamaa Islamiyya (Islamic Group). The group of 300 detainees spent three to five years in jail with the ministry of interior regularly renewing their detention without trial.
On July 27, authorities arrested 13 activists from the al-Ghad (tomorrow) party and the Kefaya movement in the mediterranean city of Port-Said. The activists wanted to organize a rally in support of Lebanon and Hezbollah.
Seventy-eight liberals held the founding conference of a new party, the Democratic Front. The founding members chose Yahia al-Gamal, former cabinet minister, and Dr Osama Harb, former member of the National Democratic Party, as representatives of the the party. The event, held on July 16 was attended by prominent political figures such as the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Mahdi Akef, the leader of al-Ghad (tomorrow) party and the coordinator of the Kefaya movement George Isaac.
On July 24, opposition parties and movements, together with intellectuals and public figures, participated in a rally attended by several thousands people in the Wafd party headquarters in Cairo to express their support for the Lebanese people. They stressed the need for internal political reforms in Arab countries as a way to tackle security challenges to Arab nations.
Gamal Mubarak, the assistant secretary general of the ruling National Democratic Party, declared that political and economic reforms have been going well for the last four years. Mr. Mubarak made the statement during a visit in the southern city of Minya on July 13.
Former presidential candidate Ayman Nour is set to undergo heart surgery in a Cairo Hospital on August 5, 2006. The authorities agreed to Nour's request to choose his surgeon and to pay all relevant expenses. The health condition of Nour has deteriorated in the last few months.
