Concern Egypt new anti-terror law may infringe on rights
Egypt, Politics, 2/21/2007

"Anti-terror bill which is currently being drafted will not touch citizen's freedoms,"Dr. Ahmed Fathi Srour, the Speaker of the People's Assembly said this during the meeting held by Dr. Srour with the Egyptian community in Kuwait

He said judicial supervision of elections will not be revoked adding it would rather be organized through a committee primarily concerned with supervising elections for running elections in the main polling stations and headed by a judge.

Srour said citizenship means equality among all Egyptians and does not clash with Islamic law adding parties are the only way to come to rule.

For his part, Safwat Al Sherif, the speaker of the Shura Council said that there are many principles which can not be touched such as free education.

"Free education and the fact that Islam is the state religion and those principles of Islamic law are the main source of legislation. He said the ratio of 50% for both farmers and workers in parliamentary councils will be maintained," said Safwat Al-Sherif during the second hearing session held by the Shura Council to explore views on constitutional amendments. Sherif said any region should provide equal opportunities to citizens and should safeguard the limited income brackets and the rights of workers.

He said there is unanimous stance that no party should be based on religious rules indicating that Egypt is living a secure democratic life and is in no need to a new constitution.

Meantime, Minister of State for Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils Mofeed Shehab denied accusations that the government's through drafting a new anti-terror law is trying to make the emergency law constitutional. Addressing a hearing session of the Shura Council Monday night, he said once the new legislation is passed it could be contested before the Supreme Constitutional Court which has the final saying about the constitutionality of any law.

Shehab told the session, dedicated to probe trade unionists' views of the proposed constitutional amendments, that when President Hosni Mubarak proposed those amendments, he never mentioned the revoking of Articles 41, 44 and 45 of the present Constitution - the articles that are specifically connected with human rights and freedoms.

According to Shehab, the President just asked that those three articles should not stand in the way of the anti-terror law. The Minister promised that the new legislation would not impinge on liberties except in very few and limited cases.

He said legislators will see to it that even in those limited cases the Constitution would be respected.

The proposed anti-terror law will replace the emergency laws but it will not include all the particulars of emergency laws, Minister Shehab said.

Egypt has been living under emergency laws since 1981 because of terrorism, he said. And out of fear for the country's safety the president has not been able to end that state of emergency all the time, he added.

Underlining the importance of the anti-terror law, he said "We simply cannot end the state of emergency without having a solid legislation that can enable us to continue our fight against terrorism." Shehab hopes that the parliament would be able to pass the law by April next year as the president wishes.

The minister said the committee in charge of drafting the anti-terror bill has made an immense use of the model law prepared by the UN for that purpose and has done its best to come out with a balanced legislation that can guarantee the safety of the nation and the people and protect their rights and at the same time helps law enforcement men to carry out their fight against terrorism.

The law will be impeccable and will have no loopholes, he promised.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Jazeera producer charged with harming national interest   (2/4/2007)
  Imprisoned Egyptian blogger faces years in prison for criticizing Islam   (1/27/2007)
  Mubarak: Constitutional amendments are designed for the future   (1/20/2007)

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