Egyptians challenge proposed protest law

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Ordinary Egyptian citizens and human rights activists are challenging a draconian new law which, if passed by the country’s interim government, will restrict the right demonstrate.

Since the army ousted Egypt’s first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi, in July there have been almost daily protests by members of the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters demanding his reinstatement.

An emergency law and curfew imposed following the ouster expired last week and the new law will effectively ban the right to peaceful assembly or protest.

In October, critics of the new law – including many supporters of the new political movement, the Revolutionary Path Front – rallied under the slogan “The Street is Ours” to protest the law.

In a recent statement, Amnesty International warned that the proposed law would “pave the way for new bloodshed”. The human rights pressure group also added that if approved “the law would both arbitrarily restrict the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and give the security forces a free rein to use excessive and lethal force”.

Although the government is yet to release definitive figures, thousands of people are thought to have been killed since the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring in 2011.

On 14 August, security forces attacked two pro Morsi sit-ins in Cairo, leaving hundreds of his supporters dead.

Human rights activists have raised fears that the proposed law might be used to justify police brutality, and even legalise it.

They also argue that such a law would only aggravate the political tension in Egypt.

 

Tools of suppression

The draft law, prepared by the Ministry of Justice, comprises 21 articles, a number of which are contentious to civil rights observers.

Under Article 6, organisers must notify the Interior Ministry about the time, motives, demands, venue and participants of a protest 24 hours in advance.

Article 9 bans all sit-ins and states that protests must not disturb public order, the interests of citizens, or cut off public roads.

Article 10 of the draft law grants the Interior Ministry the power to postpone, cancel or change the route of a protest.

The practices of the Interior Ministry have been criticized in Egypt for serving as a tool to suppress any opposition to the ruling regime.

Since the revolution erupted, many Egyptians have said that a restructuring of the ministry is crucial to ensure a real transition to democracy.

 

Lethal force

Another controversial article is number 14, which restricts demonstrations around presidential buildings, political ministries, police stations, courthouses, and international organizations.

In Egypt, these types of buildings usually serve as a focal point for any rallies or demonstrations, but the new law will forbid demonstrators from coming within 50 to 100 metres of them and will sanction the use of water cannons and tear gas to disperse non-abiding protesters.

It also permits police to use lethal force to defend financial interests.

Finally, the draft law states that those who violate the law will be fined up to LE 50000 (around US$7200), and will be subject to a prison sentence up to three months.

As a result of the mounting criticism of the draft law, Prime Minister Hazem El Beblawi recently announced that the government would engage political forces in a discussion on the draft law in the coming weeks.

He added that results of the discussions might lead to some amendments to it.

In spite of his reassurances, however, skepticism still prevails among the revolutionary forces in Egypt, and they vow to continue to resist the slide back to authoritarian rule.