U.S. ups pressure for Nour release

U.S. ups pressure for Nour release

Sunday, December 25, 2005; Posted: 2:21 a.m. EST (07:21 GMT)
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- The United States increased pressure on one of its closest allies in the Middle East on Saturday, calling for the release of a top Egyptian opposition leader who was sentenced to five years in prison for forging petition signatures.

The White House said the conviction of Ayman Nour was troubling and "calls into question Egypt's commitment to democracy, freedom, and the rule of law."

Nour, who came in a distant second to President Hosni Mubarak in the country's first contested presidential elections earlier this year, said the government invented the forgery charge to eliminate him from politics.

"The United States calls upon the Egyptian government to act under the laws of Egypt in the spirit of its professed desire for increased political openness and dialogue within Egyptian society, and out of humanitarian concern, to release Mr. Nour from detention," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
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http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/12/25/nour.jail.ap/index.html