Europeans, US press Egypt to lift emergency laws
AFP
GENEVA- European countries and the United States on Wednesday pressed Egypt -- which holds elections this year -- to lift its state of emergency, following recent arrests of Islamist political opponents.
"The state of emergency, which is in force since 1981, has a negative impact on human rights," French ambassador Jean-Baptiste Mattei told the UN Human Rights Council during a review of Egypt's record.
He added that it should be lifted "as swiftly as possible," echoing similar statements by Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States.
Jean-Baptiste Mattei
Egyptian security forces arrested several leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, the main opposition group, earlier this month.
Campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement on Tuesday that such arrests marked "a crackdown that is typical of election years."
HRW's Middle East director Joe Stork urged Egypt to announce in Geneva an end to the state of emergency, restoring judicial supervision of arrests.
"This is all the more urgent because parliamentary elections are scheduled this year," he added.
Some 5,000 to 10,000 people are thought to be held without charge according to Egyptian human rights organisations cited by HRW.
Britain recommended that Egypt also change laws of freedom of expression, assembly and religion before the elections.
Egypt is due to elect parliament's upper house, or Shura Council, in April while elections for the lower house are expected later in the year. Presidential elections are scheduled for 2011.
The state of emergency was imposed following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981 by Islamic militants.
Egyptian authorities repeatedly accuse the Brotherhood -- which was founded in 1928 -- of seeking to topple the government, a charge the group denies.
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