This month's political scene opened on a low note, as human rights and civil liberties are seemingly being circumscribed. For example, on May 10th, Ahmed Maher a founder of the influential "April 6" youth movement was arrested upon his return from the United States, allegedly for inciting a protest in Cairo

lar liberal order in Egypt were sitting in Cairo's Tora prison. According to the National Council on Human Rights, a nongovernmental organization, Ahmed Maher, Mohammed Adel, Ahmed Douma and Alaa Abdel Fattah were suffering from mistreatment, including confinement to their cells for more than 20 hours a