Right Groups Urge Vote Against Mubarak

Vote against the president say rights groups
Egyptians should boycott the coming presidential elections or vote for one of the opposition candidates, a group of local human rights organisations said on Saturday.

"The repeated crimes committed during Mubarak's rule against thousands of Egyptian citizens were not only limited to torture. These crimes included all forms of violations including unjust trials, absence of freedom of expression and violations to the right to peaceful association, in addition to guarantees to establish political parties and professional unions, and fabricating cases against political and human rights activists," a statement said.

"Torture remains widespread and systematic, and security forces have been allowed over many years to act with virtual impunity," ...

"No thorough, prompt and impartial investigations have been conducted into the hundreds of complaints of torture and deaths in detention that have been filed in recent years. The impunity afforded to those responsible for torture and ill-treatment ultimately encourages such abuses."