US: Ahmed Maher Arrest “Step Backward” for Egypt

The U.S. State Department has called last week’s arrest of April 6 co-founder Ahmed Maher a “step backward” for Egypt’s democratic transition. The U.S. has expressed concern about what it sees as a growing trend of arrests against political dissent. Maher was arrested in the Cairo airport last Friday after returning from a visit to the United States. He was later released, but charges against him remain pending. The Washington Post writes that Maher’s arrest is a “new cause for concern about a government that repeatedly has proclaimed its commitment to both democracy and compromise with its opponents,” adding that, “[Maher] warns that the United States is repeating past mistakes in Egypt by appearing to tolerate Mr. Morsi’s consolidation of power.” Maher is quoted as saying, “If you want to support democracy, say we are here in Egypt to support democracy, not whoever is in office.”

Meanwhile, Egyptian opposition advocates have begun gathering petition signatures to force holding early presidential elections. The “Tamarod’ or ‘Rebel’ campaign aims to force President Morsi to hold early elections and has reportedly already garnered 2 million signatures. The effort has been endorsed by several groups, including the April 6 Youth Movement, liberal Constitution Party, Socialist Popular Alliance Party and Strong Egypt Party.

In recent analysis, Shaimaa Khalil reports on Egypt’s ongoing police reform, writing, “I hear this phrase ‘human rights’ from many ranking officers all through the day at the academy. It is an interesting new emphasis, given the police’s reputation for human rights violations.”  She calls it a “tacit recognition of the need to restore the credibility of an organisation with a notoriously bad reputation.”