More than six months after protests broke out in Egypt, the cabinet said it would end the thirty year long emergency rule in Egypt. The continuation of a state of emergency after Mubarak's fall from power was widely criticized by those in Egypt hoping for democratic change. After Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981, emergency rule in Egypt allowed police to hold people for months in prison without charge. Beating and torture of detainees was not uncommon. Now, Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Silimi announced that the government is trying to draft a document of constitutional principles, including commitment to a democratic and civilian state, to help guide Egypt during this transitional period.
