Egypt HR groups condemn draft demonstration law

Egyptian human rights groups have condemned a new draft law, which has come into force, limiting demonstrations.

On Sunday, Egyptian interim President Adly Mahmoud Mansour approved the law, according to which protesters can be imprisoned for up to five years if found guilty of offences in demonstrations, presidency spokesman Ehab Badawi said at a press conference in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

While the bill was being drafted earlier in the day, 19 Egyptian rights groups released a joint statement, saying the law would “criminalize all forms of peaceful assembly” and give the country’s authorities a “free hand” to crack down on protesters.

“The draft law seeks to criminalize all forms of peaceful assembly, including demonstrations and public meetings, and gives the state (a) free hand to disperse peaceful gatherings by use of force,” the statement read.

Interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi defended the law, saying, it does not limit “the right to demonstrate, but it aims at protecting the right of protesters.”

Beblawi said the new law demands a “three day written notice” to be handed to a police station near the place where the demonstration is to be staged.

The advance notice must include details about the organizers of the protest, its purpose, and the slogans that will be chanted, added the interim prime minister.

He also said the authorities have the power to ban a demonstration “if it is felt to be a threat to national security.”

On Friday, the military-backed interim government authorized security forces to enter university campuses without prior permission.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, students staged a demo against the military-backed government in the capital and elswhere.

Egypt has been experiencing unrelenting violence since July 3, when the army ousted former President Mohamed Morsi’s government, suspended the constitution, and dissolved the parliament. It also appointed Mansour, the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, as the new interim president.

About 1,000 people were killed in a week of violence between Morsi supporters and security forces after police dispersed their protest camps in a deadly operation on August 14.

The massacre sparked international condemnation and prompted world bodies to call for an independent investigation into the violence.