Egypt court says military cannot arrest civilians

Cairo, Jun 26: An Egyptian court suspended on Tuesday a government decision allowing military police and intelligence to arrest civilians, a setback for the country's military rulers after the decree drew an outcry from opponents who accused them of trying to impose martial law.





The Justice Ministry issued a decree on July 13 that allowed military police and intelligence agents to arrest civilians for even minor offenses such as traffic violations.

Rights activists feared the new powers essentially reproduced the country's hated emergency law, which had expired just two weeks earlier after more than 30 years in force. The emergency law granted broad