Mansour to review law on expulsion of students for ‘terrorist’ acts

A new article giving university presidents the authority to expel students involved in “terrorist and disruptive acts” was to be submitted to interim President Adly Mansour for approval late Saturday, according to the official Middle East News Agency.

On Saturday, Cairo University finalized and published the text of an amendment to Article 184 of Law 49 of year 1972, which regulates universities.

The amendment to the law aims to “return discipline to the university and prevent violent acts while allowing students to challenge expulsion decisions before the Supreme Administrative Court,” according to a statement by the university.

A committee formed by the Supreme Council of Universities, and headed by Cairo University President Gaber Nasser, has approved the proposed amendment to Article 184, which includes an additional clause.

The proposed article stipulates that “the university president can expel students who participate in terrorist or destructive acts that harm or endanger the academic process, target the university’s institutions, exams, or work inside the university, assault individuals and public or private property, incite students to violence, or use force to this end.”

Universities can investigate such acts within a week, and their expulsion decisions can be appealed in front of disciplinary boards, which should include a State Council member.

The memo called on Mansour to take the necessary legislative measures in this matter.

Earlier this month, the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters banned student protests on university campuses, unless authorized by university presidents.

This comes amid ongoing violence on Egyptian campuses, which followed a call to boycott final exams by the Students Against the Coup (SAC) movement in December. SAC is an umbrella coalition headed by Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated students who oppose the military-backed interim government.

Four students have died in clashes between the police and demonstrators to date, three from Al-Azhar University and one from Cairo University.

The violence at universities has seen the return of security forces on campuses, which rights groups have long fought against and condemned as stifling to academic freedoms.