The head of one of Egypt's few human rights groups claims that the US is turning a blind eye to military trials of members of Islamist groups, including the moderate Muslim Brotherhood, according to the Middle East Times.
Hafez Abu Seada, the secretary general of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, went on to explain that in the days prior to Sept. 11, the United States usually sent embassy staff to observe the trials of opposition figures. It was, he said, "a clear indication that they were concerned and unhappy about these military trials."
But the recent arrests of Islamic opposition figures drew no complaints or comments from the US embassy in the Egyptian capital, said the Cairo-based paper.
When it comes to pressure from abroad, Egypt is most likely to take the Americans seriously. Washington is by far Cairo's biggest bilateral trading partner and Washington grants Egypt nearly $2 billion a year in various forms of aid.
Meanwhile, Seada made clear that “the only way to properly combat terrorism is to have more democracy,” describing the current political situation as “very dangerous” – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
