The decision by Egypt’s military to only partially scrap a decades-old emergency law is “an invitation to continued abuse” and the stifling of freedoms, Human Rights Watch said yesterday.
The military... enjoyed hero status at the start of the revolt for refusing to shoot protesters
Military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi on Tuesday announced the lifting of the hated emergency law, except in cases of “thuggery”, to coincide with the anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak last year.
“January 25 is the first anniversary of the day when Egyptians stood up together to demand an end to police abuse and the state of emergency,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
“It is an insult to all those calling for a return to the rule of law to make excuses to keep this state of emergency, used abusively for so many years, in place,” he said.
The controversial emergency law, which gives police wide powers of arrest and suspends constitutional rights, has been vehemently criticised at home and abroad.
Field Marshal Tantawi’s announcement was apparently intended to assuage protesters, who have called for a mass rally in Cairo yesterday to keep pushing for the demands of the revolution.
But maintaining an exception to lifting the law for acts of “thuggery” has been slammed by rights groups and activists alike amounting to only a cosmetic change.
“Military leaders have frequently described protesters as ‘thugs’ and military tribunals have convicted peaceful protesters after unfair trials for the crime of ‘thuggery’,” said HRW.
The military, which took power when Mr Mubarak was ousted in February, enjoyed hero status at the start of the revolt for refusing to shoot protesters.
But it has since become the target of protesters’ anger, who accuse the army of rights abuses and of using Mubarak-era tactics to stifle dissent.
Egyptians have been living under emergency law continuously since Mr Mubarak took power in 1981.
In September, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) widened the scope of the emergency law – restricted in 2010 to narcotics and terrorism – to strikes, traffic disruption and the spreading of rumours.
“Before the revolution, we saw bloggers and peaceful opponents of Mr Mubarak’s regime detained administratively on terrorism and drug trafficking accusations,” said Rachid Mesli, director of Alkarama’s legal department, who co-signed the statement with HRW.
“If the emergency law is not lifted completely, such an exception will undoubtedly allow for the continuation of these arbitrary detentions,” he said.