CAIRO: Egypt’s prominent human rights groups are appealing to President Hosni Mubarak to put an end to 27-year-old emergency laws they say are standing in the way of reforms.
According to their joint statement Wednesday, 24 rights organizations say the laws are illegitimate and “an obstacle to comprehensive reforms.
The emergency laws were enacted after the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat and gave security forces sweeping powers to detain suspects and restrict public gatherings. The laws expire this month and parliament is to discuss a new bill, which includes an anti-terrorism clause, to replace them.
According to the draft, the president could refer “any terrorist crime to any of the country’s judicial authorities, including military courts.
