Egyptian FM rebuffs US criticism of Cairo’s extension of 3-decade-old emergency law
By APWednesday, May 12, 2010
Egypt rebuffs US criticism of emergency law
CAIRO — Egypt’s foreign minister has dismissed U.S. criticism of Cairo’s decision to extend its three-decade-old emergency law as “overly politicized.”
Ahmed Aboul Gheit says the U.S. stance reflects an ignorance of the “real situation” in Egypt. He said Wednesday that the U.S. criticism was aimed for an audience of Western media and rights groups.
Egypt’s parliament on Tuesday extended the law, which has been in place since 1981. It gives Egyptian authorities broad powers of arrest and allows indefinite detention without charge.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the extension ignored “a broad range of Egyptian voices” seeking an end to the emergency.
Human rights groups say the Egyptian government has used the law to suppress dissent.
