By Pakinam Amer
The Associated Press
Friday, March 14, 2008
CAIRO, Egypt: Egypt dismissed recent White House criticism of a wave of arrests against political opponents and rejected a U.S. State Department report that denounces the country's poor human rights record, saying Friday it was "un-objective."
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino had called on Egypt this week to stop its "campaign of arrests" against opposition candidates ahead of upcoming local elections.
Her remarks were considered a clear reference to the recent crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, which has seen over 750 members rounded-up in a month.
The White House comments "reflect a lack of understanding of the political reality in Egypt," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said it "questioned the real motivation" behind such U.S. statements, without elaborating.
The foreign ministry also rejected a separate State Department annual report on worldwide human rights, issued Tuesday, claiming it did not treat Egypt fairly because it ignored the social context in which human rights are being introduced here.
"The report was un-objective and unscientific, and it showed a blend of biased views by non-governmental organizations," the foreign ministry statement said.
The State Department evaluation said Egypt's government has little respect for human rights and maintains a tight grip on political life by stifling opposition and freedom of speech under a continued state of emergency since 1967.
It also said Egyptian women are subjected to several forms of discrimination and violence, including female genital mutilation. It further struck a deep cord with Egyptian authorities by citing numerous incidents of reported torture and prison mistreatment by police and guards.
Link(s): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23635244/
http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=620918&lang=eng_news&cate_img=83.jpg&cate_rss=news_Politics
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/14/africa/ME-GEN-Egypt-US-Human-Rights.php
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