CAIRO: Amnesty International has accused Egypt's interim government, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), of reneging on its promises to improve human rights in Egypt. The statement condemned the army for exacerbating the number of human rights violations in Egypt since assuming power ten months ago. According to the London-based human rights group, the SCAF has done little more than intensify the level of human rights violations against the Egyptian people, especially through its use of military trials against civilians. “By using military courts to try thousands of civilians, cracking down on peaceful protest and expanding the remit of Mubarak's Emergency Law, the SCAF has continued the tradition of repressive rule which the January 25 demonstrators fought so hard to get rid of,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Acting Director, in a press release on Monday. Some 12,000 Egyptian civilians, mainly demonstrators, activists, journalists, and bloggers, have been subjected to military trials for speaking out against the military junta. At least 13 have been sentenced to death. Amnesty highlights the high profile cases of Maikel Nabil and Alaa Abdel Fattah, two prominent Egyptian bloggers, who have been imprisoned for their criticism of the SCAF regime. Both have become icons of the revolution in the hearts of the Egyptian people. Nabil, who was sentenced to three years in prison this April for criticizing the regime and objecting to mandatory military service, has been on a hunger strike since August. Despite the hunger strike and a heart condition, Nabil has been denied medical attention by prison authorities. Abdel Fattah was arrested and detained in October following his criticism of the SCAF for its investigation into the bloody events at Maspero on October 9, which left 28 dead and hundreds injured. Amnesty is set to release a detailed report on Tuesday, entitled Broken Promises: Egypt's Military Rulers Erode Human Rights, highlighting the continued repression in Egypt under SCAF rule. “It [the report] is an assessment of the last ten months and displays that the SCAF has basically betrayed or eroded all promises made in beginning when they took over power. The balance sheet shows that after nine months the desires of the Egyptian people have been crushed. It bears the hallmark of Mubarak era,” stated Mohamed Lofty, an Amnesty International researcher, in an interview with Bikyamasr.com. Amnesty is calling on the SCAF to end its repressive tactics used against the Egyptian peoples, especially its repression of freedom of speech and assembly. The report's release happens to coincide with the outbreak of violence on Saturday between demonstrators and Egyptian military and police forces throughout Egypt, most notably in Cairo's Tahrir Square. “The current situation in Tahrir is reminiscent of the protests earlier this year, especially the 28th of January crackdown against protesters. Similar tactics are being used. The images make it clear that there are a lot of violations there, use of weapons, possibly live ammunition as well,” added Lofty. “It's unacceptable to continue to use violence against protesters. The response by the military and riot police is intolerable,” he concluded. BM
