Egypt President declares emergency and imposes curfew

 23 arrested after Tahrir Square clashes this month Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has declared a state of emergency in the provinces of Suez, Port Said and Ismailia for 30 days. A curfew was imposed in these provinces for the duration of the state of emergency , from 9pm until 6am. Morsi stressed the need to respect the provisions of the judiciary and not to damage public facilities or violate the rights of the nation and its citizens.
In a television speech Morsi said: "The judiciary should be respected because they are not directed or biased against a particular category of people.”
He continued “protecting the rights of people is my duty, and a citizen’s right to freedom is inseparable from his right to security. What we have seen in the past few days is behavior alien to the Egyptian people, claiming it to be the counter-revolution. The Egyptian people reject such actions and those who defend them."
The president affirmed that he had issued instructions to the Ministry of Interior to deal firmly with all outlaws using force and decisiveness. Morsi added that he will follow legal procedures to bring the criminals to justice as soon, and expressed his condolences to the victims of Port Said and Suez.
Armored vehicles and military personnel flowed into Suez to secure churches and important areas in the province. Emergency numbers have been allocated to receive the citizens' complaints and reports.
Major General Osama Askar, commander of the Third Field Army, declared that additional patrols of military police will be deployed to secure the main fields and streets in the city.  Security measures around Suez Canal have been also intensified as the third Army established constant patrols to secure vital facilities in the city including "electricity and gas works, water companies, industrial and commercial establishments, banks, warehouses for storing strategic goods." Mobile patrols on the streets of the city are also imposing security in cooperation with the Interior Ministry. The Moral Affairs department announced that it had received a large number of reports and complaints from citizens about criminal elements, suspicious gatherings and vandalism.
Meanwhile, a public prosecutor ordered the detention of 23 accused on charges of being involved in on-going conflicts in Tahrir Square which started on January 25. The defendants denied all charges against them, stressing that security forces arrested them whilst they were passing, by chance, near the site of clashes .