US senators submit resolution urging Egypt’s regime to revoke its hold on citizens’ freedom

The US Foreign Relations Committee received a drafted resolution by US senators Russ Finegold, Robert Casey and former presidential nominee John McCain urging Egypt to abolish its 30 year old state of emergency, in force since President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak assumed power. The resolution was submitted in an attempt to promote democracy and safeguard human rights. Egypt ‘s state of emergency law has been recently renewed amid assurances by its PM Ahmed Nazif that it would be applied to terrorists and drug traffickers however the law has been used to intimidate political opposition preventing them from practicing their constitutional rights and freedom of speech.

The resolution also urged the regime to lift its tight state control over foreign financial aid granted to Egyptian civil society organizations.
The resolution was submitted because the US believed in Egypt ‘s primary role in the region and its significance to US national security.

The decree  also called  on the Egyptian government to permit  local and international supervision and monitoring  of upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections similar to the demands outlined by the Muslim Brotherhood’s  online petition which was initiated by its chairman Dr. Mohamed Badie to prevent  electoral irregularities which have become the norm  in previous elections.

The draft also highlighted the importance of Egypt to relax its legal restrictions and regulations on the electoral nominations; recent interventions in the Shura midterm elections rendered the elections a complete sham with widespread rigging and intimidation and aggression against political opposition candidates and their supporters.

 The resolution pointed out it was significant that it establish non-governmental organizations and to abandon its policy of random arrest and torture.

The declaration was founded on the principle that US respected human rights and did not support regimes that did not respect civil liberties believing it could jeopardize relations