Amnesty International criticized new restrictions by Egypt's authorities on political opposition and called on them to end assaults by security forces on parliamentary candidates.
 
The call comes after tensions rose during campaigning by the Muslim Brotherhood who took to the streets to publicize their political platform. Security forces arrested over 300 people and injured many more. Amnesty's warning sheds light on claims by Egyptian rights groups that the legislative election starting on November 28 is unlikely to be free and fair.

Malcolm Smart, director of Middle Eastern rights groups, argued that voters should be protected at the ballot boxes by security rather than face intimidation and harassment by them.

A 28-page report has been documented by Amnesty since Friday recording the crackdown on opposition activity in the run-up to the election, listing procedures by the authorities to restrict public access. Information, with newspaper articles deemed politically sensitive, is also being seized or destroyed and a dozen Egyptian satellite television channels have allegedly been suspended on the grounds that their licenses have expired.

According to Amnesty, the levels of human rights abuses during November's elections appear to be an indication of what may follow next year when the new presidential elections will be held.

Calls were also made by Amnesty urging the government to abandon its 3-decade-old Emergency Law which has been in force since President Mubarak assumed power, mainly targeting the MB and this was renewed earlier this year.