"The Egyptian government must end the state of emergency and stop military courts trying of civilians," said Salil Shetty, the head of Amnesty International. Shetty said Egypt is starting new democratic way with presidential elections. He also said the previous elections were just a joke. They were full of fraud, enabling the Democratic National Party, headed by Hosni Mubarak, to hold authority for many decades. "We are most worried about the intensive using of military courts for civilians, the state of emergency, and the laws punishing journalists," Shetty said. He added, "All these were Mubarak rules and laws—the Egyptians do not need them now. They must be cancelled." The state of emergency law must end because it gives authorities the right to arrest civilians. It may damage democracy in future. The Egyptian government can maintain security without resorting to a state of emergency law. Shetty praised the Military Council for cancelling former State Security investigations. Shetty said that Egypt is not a poor country, but a middle class country which receives a lot of aid from the United States. Egypt must face its poverty, and its social differences issues—particularly the fact that 40 percent of Egyptians live in slums.
