CAIRO: American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to end the country's draconian emergency laws. The military junta this month re-activated and expanded on the laws, despite continued anger and protests by activists. Following a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr, Clinton said Washington wants the country's interim military rulers to end the measures before next year, “because we think that is an important step on the way to the rule of law.” The emergency laws allow police and security forces a vast amount of power, which enables them to arrest and detain citizens without charge. The military says they have been put back in place, much stronger than during the waning years of the Hosni Mubarak era, to maintain security in the country. Activists, however, argue they are a ploy to keep dissent and opposition to the SCAF at a minimum, pointing to crackdowns and arrests against bloggers and journalists as well the recent confiscation of at least three newspapers for material the military did not want getting to the public. Previously, the SCAF had said it would remove the emergency laws ahead of elections in the country, now scheduled for November 28, but after protesters stormed the Israeli embassy in Egypt earlier this month, the military said the laws are needed. “The army has played a very stabilizing, important role during this period,” she said, despite calling for the laws to end. BM
