Egypt parties condemn emergency law

Wed Sep 14, 2011

Egyptian political parties condemn a decision by the ruling military council for enforcing the emergency law, demanding the release of the protesters detained by the army outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo, Press TV reports.

"Three people were killed, many injured and others were detained instead of expelling the (Israeli) ambassador and suspending ties with Israel. This SCAF action is totally unacceptable," Rasha Azah from "No to Military Trails Campaign" told Press TV.

The decision by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to revive the emergency law has sparked criticism from most political groups from liberals to Islamists.

"This is very dangerous and indicated that the police officers like before to have more authority against citizens," said human rights activist Manal Khaled.

During a press conference in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Tuesday, the guest speakers stressed that the protesters were outraged after the Egyptian authorities built a separation barrier around the Israeli embassy while they did not show any attempt to protest the recent killing of the six Egyptian soldiers in an Israeli attack near the border.

"We condemn the silence of the SCAF to the Israeli attacks on our borders, not to mention the efforts made by the SCAF to hold on to ties with Israel," said Mohamed Attia from Democratic Front Party.

They also said the new amendments to the emergency law are illegal because they should be applied only in cases of natural disasters, war and epidemics.

"Such no articles can simply be used against freedom of expression that the people were deprived of during the reign of (ousted former Egyptian president Hosni) Mubarak," said Khaled.

A key demand of the revolutionaries after the January 25 revolution has been the immediate lifting of the state of emergency that has been in place in Egypt since 1981.

The Egyptian protesters stormed into the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday, destroying a part of a barricade wall around the building. The Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Yitzhak Levanon, flew from the capital a few hours after the event.

Three people were killed and several others injured in overnight clashes with the police outside the embassy.

Egyptians remain angry at the ruling military council for ignoring popular demands to expel the Israeli ambassador from Egypt.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/199094.html.