(11) Human Rights Organizations Emphasize the Impossibility of Holding Parliamentary and Presidential Elections in the Absence of Neutrality of State

From:ANHRI
The Forum of independent human rights organizations expresses its strong condemnation for the suppression , prosecution and terrorizing of the political activists who call for providing guarantees of transparency and integrity in the parliamentary and presidential elections, and make constitutional amendments which provide competitive and free presidential elections.

In this context, the Forum monitors the infringement on the peaceful march for cars in Alexandria and the repeat arrest , humiliation, physical assault and verbal abuse on the participants in the various aspects of the peaceful protest and to demand political and democratic reform. As well as, the forum monitors the immediate investigation by the general prosecutor in the communiqués filed against public figures as they criticized the government and the NDP, or one of its potential candidates for presidency, despite of the number of the communiqués which exist in the general prosecutor’s office for several decades without investigation.

Accordingly, the undersigned organizations warn of the consequences of restricting access for peaceful expression of ideas and political opponents demands, while supporters of the ruling party and one of its candidates for presidency are empowered to launch elections campaigns freely.
The Forum stresses that double standards , use of the emergency law and an arsenal of laws which restrict freedoms in face of the political opposition groups, casts serious consequences on the future of the political process in Egypt at Crucial turning point.

Accordingly, the Forum of independent human rights organizations calls state agencies to give up the policies , practices of terrorism and the continues harassment of the political activists, under the emergency law, respect the different rights and safeguards to protect the right to freedom of expression , the right of assembly and association, and the full commitment to the principle of neutrality toward competitors.

The Forum reminds the officials in all the state agencies that they do not belong to individuals or a particular party, and they are obliged under the law to be neutral especially at the time of the electoral process, or preparation for it. As well, breach of neutrality ,threatens to undermine the political and legal legitimacy of such elections and its official results.

The undersigned organizations of the members of the Forum of independent human rights organizations:
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
Hisham Mubarak Law Center
the ASSOCIATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS LEGAL AID
Land Center for Human Rights
Nadeem Center for Psychological rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and torture
The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights
Association for Freedom of thought and expression
Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies
Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners
Arab Penal Reform Organization