CAIRO
By Mohamed Khairy
Strong Egypt Party, led by former presidential candidate Abdel-Moneim Abul-Futuh, has rejected the extension of Egypt's state of emergency.
In a statement late Friday, the party slammed "the extension of the state of emergency, innocence verdicts for the killers of revolutionaries, on-campus arrest, military trials for civilians, fabricated charges, detention of women and children for expressing their opinion, the return of the symbols of political corruption to the scene and directed media".
"If these signals are not a feature of the police state, what they will be?" the party asked.
On Thursday, Interim President Adly Mansour decided to extend Egypt's state of emergency for a further two months.
The Presidency said that the move comes against the backdrop of Egypt's current security situation.
The state of emergency gives the authorities the right to use exceptional measures, which include detaining citizens and searching homes and cars without permission from the prosecution.
The centrist party underlined the importance of returning to the democratic path "to preserve freedoms, allow the people to choose their rulers and try whoever has committed a crime against the homeland".
The party said that the situation has become worse than before January 25 (ahead of the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak).
"This proves that we have a failing government and incapable government that have no political vision," the statement said.
Egypt has been in turmoil since the army's July 3 ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi after mass protests against his presidency.
The unconstitutional change of government is described by the ousted president's backers as a "military coup", while the move's supporters call it a military-backed "popular uprising".
englishnews@aa.com.tr
