An Egyptian human rights group on Tuesday loged two complaints with the UN Human Rights Council and the Immigration Commission respectively over the Kuwaiti authorities' deportation of around 25 Egyptians for backing Mohamed ElBaradei, a pro-change former chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. The two complaints urge the two international agencies to take action to request the Kuwaitis to reinstate the Egyptian deportees their jobs in the Oil-rich Gulf state. "Dismissing Egyptians from their jobs and deporting them are nothing but indicators of non-humanitarian treatment from Kuwaiti authorities," The Arab Centre for Independent Judiciary, an NGO, said in a statement. It added that the Kuwaiti decision violated Article 1 of the Anti-Torture pact. ElBaradei had slammed the deportations as a gross injustice, urging the Kuwaiti authorities to return the Egyptians to their jobs. An emerging opposition figure in Egypt, to which he returned last February ElBaradei, meanwhile, called for a boycott of the upcoming elections. Ibrahim Nawar, a senior member of the opposition National Front Party, said ElBaradei made his remarks during a meeting with party members on Monday to discuss political strategy. Nawar said ElBaradei called for the boycott to ‘deprive' President Hosni Mubarak's rule of legitimacy. "Let them be exposed naked before the whole world," Nawar quoted ElBaradei as saying. Egypt will have an election for the Shura Council (Egypt's Upper House of Parliament) in June, a parliamentary vote in October and a presidential poll next year. However, registered opposition parties, which receive considerable government funding are not expected to heed ElBaradei's call. The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest-but-Islamic opposition movement is also expected to participate in the elections. A Nobel laureate, ElBaradei has seen a wave of support from reformists who see him as a potential challenger to Mubarak. Rather than actually run for president, ElBaradei has turned his focus onto promoting electoral reforms and constitutional amendments that would allow a credible rival candidate to run in next year's presidential election. He has been meeting various political groups in Egypt, after nearly three decades abroad to urge them into action. Over 100,000 people have joined a Facebook group supporting his candidacy. Existing restrictions make it practically impossible for independents or candidates from new parties to run, meaning that ElBaradei's chances would be dim without long-sought constitutional amendments. Egypt has been under Emergency Law, which severely restricts civil rights, for 29 years during the rule of Mubarak, who is rumoured to be standing for re-election in 2011.
