Administrative tribunal postpones Ayman Nour decison until 12 June

The case on releasing Ayman Nour based on medical grounds were up in court today. The judge of the administrative tribunal postponed it until a new medical committee from the justice ministry could examine him further. The next court date is set for 12 June.

Ayman Nour´s case was reexamined today on health grounds according to the semiofficial daily al Ahram. An administrative tribunal is due to examine his case on medical grounds, due to his deteriorating health. This just months after a medical team, judged his condition to be good enough to continue serving his sentence.

Ayman Nour, the Ghad Party leader suffers from a heart condition and diabetes. He´s currently serving a five year prison sentence on forgery charges. The trial was flawed and the sentence is largely viewed as politically motivated . He lost an appeal in May 2006.

Ayman Nour was once the up and comming star of the Wafd party, with which he broke ranks with under archrival Numan Gouma´s leadership. He was elected to parliament twice in 1995 and 2000 in the Bab ash Shariyya district in Cairo. In the parliamentary elections in 2005 he lost his seat. The Ghad Party is the latest party to be recognized, and it optained it´s party license in October 2004. Nour and the party imidiately showed that he didn´t intend to play along in the limited political game, but wanted to play ¨real politics¨, just as the new Wafd had tried doing in 1978. Four months later he was in jail, he was released and contested the first multi-candidate presidential elections ever before he´s trial began, landing him in prison again and sentenced on Christmas eve 2005.

Let´s hope the tribunal comes up with a positive piece of news today, and let´s wish for a better future!

This will be updated tomorrow.

Update:

Here is an AFP newswire with comments from Gamila Ismail, vice president of the al Ghad Party and Ayman Nour´s wife. The statement was made outside the courthouse prior to the session.

Update II:

The court decision will probably make Gamila Ismail´s run for the Gameliyya seat in the Shoura council elections( the upper house of parliament), due on 11 June next to impossible.

UPDATE III:

The case was up in court again yesterday June 26th, and was postponed once again until next Tuesday, 2 July. Present at the court hearing was representatives from the U.S., British and Canadian embassies.

Ayman Nour, Nour, al Ghad, Ghad Party, trial, Egyptian parties, trial, Egypt, human rights, Bab al Shariyya