Karbala Lawyers demonstrate in support of Egyptian People

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: A number of lawyers in southwest Iraq’s holy city of Karbala have launched a demonstration on Thursday, expressing their support for the Egyptian people’s demands to change their regime, considering the demands as “a step towards evacuating the Middle East Region from ‘dictatorial’ regimes.”   “Karbala Lawyers have met today (Thursday) infront of Karbala Court to express their solidarity with the Egyptian people, who are continuing their uprising demanding the changing of their regime,” Lawyer Mohammed Ali al-Saadi, one of the organizers of the demonstration, told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The Egyptian people’s demands are realistic and accepted, being legitimate and legal demands; and we support them.We want the Arab people to become free. We demand that the Middle East becomes free of dictatorships, that have ruled the Arab people for several years,” he said. “The Egyptian people represent a powerful bulk in the Arab arena. After demanding a regime change and resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, we express solidarity and encourage the Arab people to move against the dictatorial regimes,” he said. The Egyptian authorities imposed a curfew on Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and other Egyptian cities, since Friday last. Communications inside Egypt were cut following huge demonstrations on Jan. 25th, demanding the “departure” of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime that ruled Egypt for about 30 years. The Egyptian demonstrations took place after similar incidents in Tunisia that forced its President Zine al-Abdine bin Ali to flee. News agencies have reported that hundreds of people have been killed or injured, aside from the destructive attacks that followed clashes between the security forces and the demonstrators. “We want the Arab people to know that Karbala lawyers are expressing solidarity with them, as a joint message for the ruler and the people,”  Lawyer Hassan al-Natour said.  “We have experienced the rule of a single party and a single individual. Because of this, we have compassion for the suffering the Egyptian people are experiencing. Their uprising is legitimate, as are their demands to set Egypt on the right course,” he added. “The beginning has been launched and the corrections have began. We are looking forward towards an Arab Homeland, free from dictatorial regimes. We initiated this in Iraq seven years ago, despite differences in practices,” Natour added. Karbala, the center of the province carrying the same name, is 108 km to the south of Baghdad. SKH (TI)/SR 470