Egypt: rights organization says police should reconsider cruelty against protesters

Egypt: rights organization says police should reconsider cruelty against protesters

The statement said the "calls for reassessing the excessively cruel security measures applied recently while dealing with the demonstrators who exercised, according to the laws, their legitimate right to freedom of expression." For the past three weeks, Egyptian police have beaten and arrested hundreds of activists at peaceful street demonstrations held in support of two reformist judges who were disciplined for publicizing fraud in last year's parliamentary elections, the AP reports.

Egyptian reformers have criticized the NCHR, formed in 2004, saying it gives only muted reports on government human rights violations. However, it condemned police intimidation during parliament elections last year.