Thursday, May 31, 2012

Egypt: Parliament’s Chance to End State of Emergency


At Least 188 Still Held and New Cases Before Emergency Courts

May 30, 2012

"(London) – Egypt’s new parliament has an opportunity to close an abusive chapter in Egypt’s history by ending all measures related to the Emergency Law when the current extension of the law expires on May 31, 2012.

The People’s Assembly should not just let the law lapse, but should also pass legislation ending all exceptional measures that would not automatically expire with the law, Human Rights Watch and Alkarama said. It should require the interior minister to release all Emergency Law detainees or refer them to prosecutors to be charged, and ask the public prosecutor to transfer all Emergency State Security Court (ESSC) trials to regular civilian courts.
The Egyptian parliament should make sure that this state of emergency, a hallmark of Hosni Mubarak’s abusive police state, has no future,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Parliament should also initiate a comprehensive investigation into human rights violations that flourished under the Emergency Law, and the public prosecutor should make sure that the key people responsible for systematic torture and enforced disappearance are prosecuted.”......"

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