Nov 26 2010
Amnesty Warns Cairo Against Rights Abuses – Egypt In State of Emergency Since 1981
Egypt urged to uphold human rights
Amnesty International has criticized Egyptian authorities for a fresh crackdown on the opposition ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections next week.
“Voters at polling stations should be protected by the Egyptian security forces, not intimidated or harassed by them as so often occurred during the last parliamentary elections in 2005,” said Malcolm Smart, the rights group’s Middle East Director, AFP reported on Sunday.
The London-based rights group called on Egypt to respect freedom of speech.
“The Egyptian authorities must uphold the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly and ensure that peaceful protesters are not arbitrarily arrested and detained,” Smart added.
The appeal followed reports of a harsh crackdown on opposition members. Ten Muslim Brotherhood members were reported injured by Egyptian police on Saturday in the northern sector of the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
Police detained four others in the Nile Delta province of Sharqiya. And dozens sustained injuries during a recent crackdown in the port city of Alexandria.
Police even used teargas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. The Muslim Brotherhood says hundreds of its members have been arrested since the group announced its intention to contest the elections.
Many of the opposition figures are still in custody, in response to the religious-political organization’s decision to field candidates for the upcoming elections.
The government accuses the group of seeking to take over the country and has passed a series of constitutional amendments in an attempt to dent the Brotherhood’s ability to participate in politics.
A total of 134 Brotherhood candidates are to take part in the elections. The movement, that currently holds 88 seats in parliament, is registering them as ‘independents’ in order to circumvent a ban on religious parties.
The group was banned in 1954 — 26 years after its foundation — but has continued to play a key role in Egyptian politics.
Egypt’s last elections in 2005 were marred by violence and fraud allegations.
Egyptian rights groups predict that the legislative election starting on November 28 is also unlikely to be fair.
Prominent Egyptian opposition leader and former Director General of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed El Baradei has called for a boycott of the elections.
Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/151835.html
Recorded November 26, 2010 at 1800GMT (Press TV)