Egyptian human rights activist and politician Khaled Ali recently said that President Al-Sisi was "no less a dictator than Mubarak." In his February 11 address, Ali, who was a candidate in the 2012 presidential elections, said that Al-Sisi had committed the same crimes as Mubarak, "such as killing, torture, and detention." His accusations sparked the ire of TV host Azmi Mojahed, who, on his Assema TV show, asked: "How come they let such a stupid and despicable individual talk like this?"
Following are excerpts:
Khaled Ali: We can say that the [January 25 revolution] was a great historic event. We can also say that we are ruled by a dictator. I'm speaking for myself when I say that Al-Sisi is no less a dictator than Mubarak. Al-Sisi…
Applause
Audience member: He should face trial.
Khaled Ali: Al-Sisi has committed the same crimes – economic, social, and political crimes, such as killing, torture, and detention. When I say "detention," I don't mean detention in the legal sense. We are talking about unlawful killings and arrests.
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Assema TV [Egypt], February 11, 2016
Egyptian TV host Azmi Mogahed: What country of Egypt's caliber allows that kind of people to talk like that? Where is the parliament in all this? All they do is sit and discuss whether or not the people are stupid… Why isn't the parliament doing anything about this? In France, if a man speaks this way about the president, they chop off his head. What is this? Who does he think he is?
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How come they let him say such things at the Egyptian Syndicate of Journalists? How come they let him speak this way about the president of Egypt? We're talking about a president who never sleeps, who works 24/7, and who saved this country from destruction and perdition. How come they let such a stupid and despicable individual talk like this?
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