Senior Egyptian officials defended the country's human rights record at the convention of their ruling party in Cairo. I am not going to try and give you the impression that everything is perfect, said Gamal Mubarak at a forum for foreign observers to the convention earlier this week.

A Muslim Brotherhood blogger was released Saturday after a 45-day detention, but the crackdown against the group continued, with 51 Brotherhood members arrested in recent days, police said.

Egyptian government terrestrial and satellite TV channels focused in its programmes on Thursday 22 March, Friday 23 March and Saturday 24 March on urging Egyptians to go to the polls next Monday 26 March to vote in the referendum on constitutional amendments.

By Mohammed Abbas and Samer Elatrash CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's government-sponsored National Council for Human Rights called on Thursday for an investigation into killings during parliamentary elections that ended in December. In a report, the council -- headed by former U.N.

By Mona Eltahawy I envy Iraqis. Not for the presence of foreign troops in their country. Nor for the relentless bloodletting that claims at least 30 Iraqis a day. No. I envy Iraqis for holding relatively peaceful parliamentary elections despite all of the above.