THAW

Egyptian Court Stops Army Arrests

Postelection, a possible end to martial law.

There will be fewer cuffs in Cairo after a court ruling Tuesday. The decision by an Egyptian judge is a key victory for Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's Islamist president-elect, in his struggle to wrest power from the military council that has governed the country since leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year. “The court has blocked the decision of the Minister of Justice that gave military and military intelligence officers powers of arrest,” a Cairo judge said Tuesday. Earlier this month, Egyptian generals implemented legislation appointing themselves constitutional arbiters, giving military police the power to arrest any and all citizens. Now the Cairo administrative court has overturned part of that decree, after a challenge from rights activists and politicians. Most of the military’s emergency powers remain unpopular—but still on the books.