Egyptian Lawmakers Extend Emergency Law

[ProSense]

Egyptian Lawmakers Extend Emergency Law

By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer
5 minutes ago

CAIRO, Egypt - Egypt's parliament agreed Sunday to extend an emergency law President Hosni Mubarak imposed on the country after he took power in 1981, ignoring a growing chorus of opposition both inside and outside the country.

The emergency law, put in place after Islamic extremists killed Mubarak's predecessor Anwar Sadat during a Cairo military parade, gives security forces broad powers to arrest and detain suspects. The United States last year called on Mubarak to lift the law, which human rights organizations and Egypt's opposition say is subject to abuse.

Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif told legislators the two-year extension was important to the government's effort to combat terrorism, the official Middle East News Agency reported.

Nazif called terrorism a "vicious tool of destruction" bent on destroying the efforts of Egyptians' "labor, sweat and money."

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060430/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_emergency_law_1

It's wrong to perpetuate a police state based on a two-decade-old mandate. On another topic, maybe the United States could call on Bush to operate within the law.