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Egypt’s military-led government formed in the wake of Hosni Mubarak’s resignation, has detained Mubarak and his two sons, meeting a key popular demand. Gamal and Alaa Mubarak have been brought to Cairo for questioning over corruption and abuse of power during their father’s 30 year-reign. The ex-president was also questioned, particularly over the deaths of more than 800 people killed earlier this year during the national demonstrations. But he claimed to have chest pains and was taken to a hospital in the tourist town of Sharm-al-Sheikh where he had been living for the past two months. Mubarak’s party, the National Democratic Party, was dissolved this past weekend by an Egyptian Court, thwarting aspirations by Mubarak’s allies for parliamentary elections in September. The Egyptian military, in commencing with the detention of the Mubaraks, are thought to be scrambling to preserve the trust of a population impatient for the gains made by the revolution to be solidified. On April 9th, thousands of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square frustrated with the slow pace of change – but security forces violently quelled the demonstrations, killing at least two people and wounding dozens of others, in the most violent crackdown since the revolution. Opposition leader Mohammad El Baradei, who has announced that he will run for President, posted the following statement to his Facebook page: “The continuation of trust between the people and the army is a red line in order to protect the nation. Dialogue is the only alternative.” But the Egyptian military has not helped its own case by seemingly adopting many of Mubarak’s own tactics. Recently a military court sentenced Maikel Nabil Sanad, a blogger, to three years imprisonment for criticizing the military in his blogs and on his Facebook page. The military had reportedly asked Egyptian media a few weeks ago to refrain from publishing news critical of it.

GUEST: Noha Radwan, Assistant Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature, University of California-Davis

Watch Democracy Now’s interview with Noha Radwan here: http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/3/california_professor_beaten_by_pro_mubarak