Egyptians rally against Morsi

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CAIRO, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Egyptian protesters have a right to assemble peacefully in Cairo to call for an end to Mohamed Morsi's administration, a rights leader said Friday.

Protesters gathered Friday in Tahrir Square to protest Morsi, the Egyptian president elected in the country's first democratic vote in June.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expressed alarm about the state of affairs in Egypt as political frustration turned violent last month. Human Rights Watch said it was concerned about pending restrictions on public demonstrations.

Nagib Gabrael, a member of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, told news agency al-Masry al-Youm that Egyptians still enjoy basic civil liberties.

"Civil disobedience is one of the forms of protests protected in laws, constitutions and international treaties and Egyptians have the right to do it," he said.

Members of the Coptic Christian community, meanwhile, expressed their own frustration after Morsi's administration announced plans to hold parliamentary elections during the Easter holiday season.

The first round of parliamentary elections begins in late April and concludes in early May, coinciding with Holy Week on the Coptic Christian calendar.

Morsi's administration has faced criticism for its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic political organization. He hails from the group's Freedom and Justice Party.