Rights groups demand reforms from parliament

Following the Egyptian parliament’s first session in four years, international and local rights organizations have released a list of demands for the new parliament.

The New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement on Tuesday listing laws they say parliament should amend or revoke, including the infamous protest and terrorism laws issued by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his predecessor interim President Adly Mansour.

“Egypt’s new legislators should embrace their role as a check on the harsh powers the country’s leaders have wielded since 2013. This parliamentary review can offer a glimmer of hope for the restoration of rights in Egypt,” the deputy Middle East and North Africa Director of HRW Nadim Houry asserted.

The parliament is set to review 330 laws in just 15 days, according to the constitution, with the power to annul any legislation passed by presidential decree.

HRW was most concerned about the Protest Law, legislation expanding the power of military courts, a law extending the period of pretrial detention and the Counterterrorism Law, which the rights organization states, “defines terrorism so broadly as to encompass civil disobedience.” HRW claims the law essentially creates penalties for journalists whose reporting counters official government statements.

HRW also condemned the law limiting foreign funding for non-governmental organizations.  

Prior to the parliament’s first meeting, several national human rights organizations, including the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE), among others, released a statement detailing nine key issues they believe parliament should address in the coming months, emphasizing the need to ensure all presidential decrees are constitutional.

“The incoming parliament must guarantee a comprehensive engagement with terrorism that is not limited solely to security approaches,” they emphasized, as well as stressing the need to focus on the rights of women and children in line with international human rights conventions.   

The parliament first convened on Sunday in a chaotic session that ultimately resulted in the election of law professor Ali Abdel Aal as speaker. Aal’s election was expected, as he was the nominee from Support Egypt coalition, a wing of the state-supported For the Love of Egypt Coalition.