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Amnesty calls for a Cairo rights manifest

LONDON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Amnesty International said it had 10 human rights reforms that Egyptian leaders must uphold to honor the spirit of the revolution.

Amnesty International published what it described as a human rights manifesto that it wanted all candidates in the upcoming parliamentary election to sign.

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"Under the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Egyptians fear that one repressive rule is being replaced with another," the rights group said in a statement. "They are now looking to political leaders to take decisive action to end the injustice and abuses which have marred Egypt for the last 30 years."

Amnesty International's manifesto outlines human rights reforms ranging from a repeal of a national emergency law to economic, social and cultural rights for all.

Elections in Egypt start later this month in a multitiered election. There are nearly 500 seats available in both houses of the Egyptian Parliament.

"Justice and the end of repression were among the key demands of Egypt's demonstrators," Amnesty International said in a statement. "Political parties now need to set out their programs to address a legacy of abuse and make concrete human rights pledges."

Emerging political parties in Egypt have expressed frustration with the political activity of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wafd Party, some of the oldest political organizations in the country. SCAF faces broad-based frustration, meanwhile, with the slow pace of post-revolutionary reforms.

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The first round of voting begins Nov. 28.

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