Middle East Research and Information Project, Inc.

(MERIP)

Egyptian Communist Party Communique: "The Elimination of All Voices Opposing the Treaty"
Source: MERIP Reports, No. 82 (Nov., 1979), pp. 22-23
Published by: Middle East Research and Information Project, Inc. (MERIP)
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3011651
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 Communist Party
Egyptian

Communique:

The Elimination of

All Voices
Opposing

the
Treaty"

Despite great diversity in their political and ideological ten?

dencies, all the accused are charged with belonging tb the
Egyptian Communist Party (ECP) which, according to the
charges, "through its actions and policies seeks to overthrow
the regime and institute a communist system."
The state prosecutor accuses the ECP of sowing confusion
and doubt about the regime, of weakening national unity, and
of opposing the "peace initiative/' The prosecutor enumerates
different aspects of the ECP's activities, as well as its under?
PresidentSadat ground publications inside the country?al-lntissar, al-Wai, al-
Ard wa-l Fellah?its publishing house, Dar al-Thakafa, and its
An Egyptian Communist Party was firstestablished in the 1918-
1920 period, but was not active again until after 7939. In this organizations abroad in London, Paris and West Berlin which it
claims "publish al-lntissar, al-Yassar al-Arabi, and Awraq Di-
period, through the late '50s, there were several communist
mocratiya, and participate in the editing of publications and
organizations, the principal one being the Democratic Union "
for National Liberation. Following the 1952 revolution, rela? magazines hostile to the regime... [Egyptian press, 8/19/79].
The accused include two working class deputies of the
tions with the Nasser regime were often problemmatic. Two
former People's Assembly, dissolved in May 1979, Abu al-Ez
labor leaders including one Communist, were executed at Kafr
al-Hariri and Ahmed Taha. Three members of the Egyptian bar,
al-Dawarin 1952, and in 1954-55 a number of cadre were jailed.
In late 1958 there was a fusion of the various groupings under Nabil al-Hilali, Zaki Murad, and Abdullah Zoghbi were also
the name of the Egyptian Communist Party,prompted in large among the accused, lt is important to note that these lawyers
were known for defending those accused in political trials and
degree by their shared opposition to the formation of the
were playing a major defense role ina political trial, stemming
United Arab Republic with Syria. This unity was followed on
from the popular uprising of January 1977, actually in progress
New Year's Day 1959 by the mass arrest of CP members who
were shipped off to concentration camps. Most were released at the time of their arrest.
in 1964. This latest police campaign is just one more stage in the
In 1965 the leadership of the Party decided to dissolve itself repression of all opposition to the Israeli-Egyptian treaty. The
underpressure from the regime and join as individuals with the opposition has rallied many diverse political forces. The cam?
sole legal party, the Arab Socialist Union. Not all followed this paign follows the dissolution of the People's Assembly and the
holding of elections aimed at the elimination of all opposing
path or agreed with this decision, however. In 1976 the Party
voices in the new assembly. The Presidential decree #194 of
was reconstituted by former cadre inside and outside the coun?
1979, promulgated before the elections, forbids any criticism of
try.The Partyhas close relations with the Soviet Union external?
the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty during the electoral cam?
ly, and within Egypt has fraternal relations with the Progressive
Assembly of National Unionists. A splinter group, also calling paign. The same law stipulates that all political discussion of
itselfthe Communist Party,formed in 1978, but the most impor? "social peace." These measures proved insufficient, for the
tant competing organization on the left is the Communist state had to use all possible means to gerrymander the elec?
Workers' Party, an independent, anti-revisionist (but not pro- tions, going so far as stuffing ballot boxes, making physical
Chinese) grouping that emerged from the developments of the threats, indicting candidates for espionage, etc., incidents
late '60s and early '70s. which were widely commented upon by the international press.
The principal organ of the ECP is a Paris-based monthly, After the elections, the new People's Assembly on July19
al-Vassar al-Arabi (The Arab Left). Its publications in Egyptitself accepted, in principle, amendments to the constitution which
are clandestine. The Party's political and organizational effec? contradict fundamental freedoms and rights and which would
tiveness and potential must be inferred from the vehement and not have easily passed the previous People's Assembly.
consistent harassment of the Sadat regime. We can understand the campaign of arrests in the light of
these facts and the political battle which is brewing around the
?Eds.
proposed amendments. The principal constitutional amend?
ments are the following:
At dawn on Thursday, August 16, Egyptian authorities launched
? To name President Sadat president for life, which is con?
an extensive campaign of arrests of anti-imperialist and pro?
traryto the constitution in its present form.
gressive militants. The state prosecutor announced 56 such
arrests. According to the list of those arrested, however, the ? To create a new assembly called the "Consultative As?
number was substantially larger, and the campaign continues. sembly," parallel to the present People's Assembly, which
22

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would usurp most of the prerogatives of the People's Assembly holding its congress on the date chosen. The party includes
and would be easier to control because many of its members different forces in opposition to the regime.
would be named by the President of the Republic (50 percent We should also point out that the popular revolt in Sudan
according to the latest figures). against President Numeiry's regime, the strongest ally of the
? To change the law regulating political parties by increas? present Egyptian regime, evoked in Sadat bad memories of the
popular revolt of 1977 and prompted him to take these Draco?
ing the obstacles to party formation. In addition, the special
nian measures against the growing opposition.
court in charge of hearing cases concerning party formation
As soon as this wave of arrests became known, Sadat an?
would include appointed members who are not judges.
nounced [on August 18] that "the maintenance of a state of
? To create a higher judicial council which, by virtue of the
emergency and martial law is necessary because there are
method of its membership selection, would be subordinated to individuals in the country who want to use freedom to destroy
the executive power. The creation of such a council is opposed and betray." The state of war against Israel had been similarly
by the great majority of judges, who have recently elected a used to maintain a state of emergency?now the regime is
man opposed to the government as president of their club. unmasked and shows its true colors.
? To promulgate a law permitting the Socialist Prosecutor The regime's fascist tendencies also are more clearly re?
General* to deprive political and union leaders of their politi? vealed. Several times, President Sadat has invited the people to
cal rights and to expel them from political, professional and "kill the opposition . . ." "Kill them wherever they are," he
exclaimed in a speech in Ismailia last July, where he also
governmental organizations.
announced that he had given orders to fire on sight on any
? To promulgate a new press law instituting a Higher Press
assembly. The National Democratic Party (the President's par?
Council which would replace the Journalists' Union. The union
ty) has also formed private militias and a militarywing in order
would become a journalists' club which would have no say in to use violence against the opposition.
the professional problems of its members. Such a change seeks The Egyptian regime, increasingly isolated, cannot maintain
to extend government control over journalists and fulfillthe itself in power without using terror and police repression. Its
wishes of the President of the Republic. Sadat had asked the
practices and the laws it is proposing transgress the most ele?
present journalists' organization for a number of years, in vain, mentary human rights and democratic liberties. According to
to expel all opponents of the regime (600 according to the the latest news, prisoners went on a hunger strike August 17.
calculations of the President of the Republic, who cited this The strike is in response to cruelty and ill-treatment suffered in
figure during his meeting with the Journalists' Union). In order a prison controlled by the political police. They are demanding
to pass the new law, the authorities went so far as to prohibit the most elementary rights of prisoners, denied to them since
the union's general assembly last month and have created, their arrest.
against the advice of a growing number of journalists, a so-
called "Committee of Press Organizations" designed to be
more malleable.
Iranian
? To have the People's Assembly approve Presidential De?
cree #265of 1979, which dissolves local student unions and the
General Union of Egyptian Students, halts all their activities, Revolutionary
and closes their offices. In fact, despite disciplinary councils
which expel professors and students in the opposition, the
Literature
reinstitution of the university police system, student arrests
and the total interdiction of all political activity, government "The Socio-Economic
attempts to control the student movement have failed. of a
Analysis Dependent
It is important to note that the campaign of arrests has State'"
Capitalist
involved a significant number of labor leaders. Actually, the
"An Introduction to the
resurgence of strikes in Helwan, Alexandria and Mehalla al-
Kubra, as well as the coming elections in professional organiza? Contemporary History
tions, disturb the authorities. The arrests are, then, the cul? of Iran"
mination of a series of measures taken to weaken the union
movement. The elections were postponed for six months in "Armed Struggle in Iran:
order to allow the Socialist Prosecutor General to control the The Road to Mobilization
candidates. In addition, a significant number of union leaders of the Masses"
were called in and questioned on the basis of reports submitted
by the political police.
All these measures contradict outright current laws which These and other books and pamphlets of the
the state seeks to change in order to better control the union Organization of Iranian People's Fedaii Guerrillas
movement. are available from the iran Committee. For a
Those arrested also include a significant number of leaders
complete list and price information, write:
from the Progressive Assembly of National Unionists, a legal
Iran Committee
party. The arrests were designed to prevent the party from
PO BOX 29113
* This isdirectly
prosecutor tothePresident
responsible oftheRepublic.
Thepostwascreated
in1977inorder
tobypassthenormal Washington, DC 20017
civilian authorities
judicial inpolitical
cases.

23

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