CAIRO: Free parliamentary and presidential elections are “impossible if state bodies are not neutral”, 11 Egyptian human rights bodies said this week. In a joint statement the Forum of Independent Human Rights Organizations condemned the “repression, prosecution and terrorization” of political activists who are campaigning for “guarantees of transparency and integrity in the parliamentary and presidential elections and constitutional amendments which will provide competitive and free presidential elections”. Activists from the Muslim Brotherhood and the April 6 Youth Movement have been gathering signatures for the National Coalition for Change's petition which calls for seven political reforms. Supporters of presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sababy, head of the Karama Party have also been gathering signatures. Rights groups have reported several incidents of campaigners being harassed by security bodies. The latest of these incidents targeted Bassem Aboul Magd, Sabahy's campaign coordinator. Aboul Magd was arrested by state security investigations on Aug. 10 after refusing a summons from an officer in Alexandria, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said. On Wednesday, five cars bearing images of Mohamed ElBaradei were seized in Alexandria after they were used in a rally in support of the National Coalition leader. The Forum warns of “the consequences of restricting access for peaceful expression of ideas and the demands of political opponents, while supporters of the ruling party and one of its candidates are empowered to launch election campaigns freely. “Double standards, use of the emergency law and an arsenal of laws which restrict the freedoms of political opposition groups have serious consequences for the future of the political process in Egypt at this crucial turning point.”
