 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Cairo (AFP) April 14, 2011 Egypt's military rulers, who have drawn fire from youth groups for a crackdown on protests, said on Thursday they were reviewing the cases of protesters recently sentenced in military trials. The transitional military government, which took over after protests forced president Hosni Mubarak from office in February, said on its Facebook page that an appeal from one protester's mother moved it to grant him a new trial. "The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces affirms it is reconsidering the status of all the youths who were sentenced recently," it added. Heba Morayef, a Cairo-based researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch, said dozens of protesters had received sentences from military courts since March. The military came under intense criticism from youth organisers after one person was killed when soldiers dispersed an overnight protest on April 9. "If this is a face-saving statement before they release the activists, then it's good," said Morayef. "But if they're just going to re-try them before military courts, then we're no better off than before because they need to be tried before a civilian court," she said. The military has denied abusing protesters, but human rights groups have accused it of beating detainees and allegedly forcing virginity tests on women demonstrators it arrested when clearing another protest in the square in March. A general on the ruling council later said the soldiers did not "use violence and thuggery" and warned Egyptians to ignore "accusations and slander... that only serve the revolution's enemies." The military has also drawn diplomatic flak for sentencing a blogger to three years in prison this week after he posted criticism.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com
Endangered wolves fall prey to US politicsWashington (AFP) April 13, 2011 The political tussle over US spending has ensnared an unlikely victim, the gray wolf, whose long-time status as an endangered species will likely be axed due to a late addition to the budget deal. The annex, or rider, attached by two senators to the federal budget bill after weeks of tumultuous debate, marks the first time that Congress has removed an animal from the endangered species list ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
