Some condemn, others laud use of new protest law

Reactions to Tuesday’s arrest of more than 50 protesters ranged from condemnation of the state’s heavy-handed dispersal of the demonstrations to lauding of the first use of the controversial protest law.

Egypt’s Cabinet met Wednesday afternoon to discuss Tuesday’s developments, in which the new law was used to break up demonstrations. The law has now been put under review.

According to state television on Wednesday, Egypt’s Interior Ministry is committed to implementing the law. More protests were planned Wednesday to condemn Tuesday’s arrests and to pressure for the law to be changed.

A statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights described the protest law as “flawed” and urged Egypt to amend or repeal it. Similarly, the United States said it agrees with groups that argue the law does not meet international standards and hampers the country’s move toward democracy, Reuters reported.

“The fact that the law criminalizes acts by demonstrators which may breach ‘security and public order,’ without clearly defining these terms, leaves the door open to a very restrictive and repressive interpretation,” said Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in the Tuesday statement.

“Of particular concern are the provisions on the use of force by law enforcement officials and the excessive sanctions, including massive fines as well as prison sentences, that can be imposed on those found to be in breach of this law,” she added.

In the same vein, US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said Tuesday night, "We urge the interim government to respect individual rights and we urge that the new constitution protect such rights."

She added, “The United States wants Egypt’s transition to an inclusive democracy to succeed.”

In a Wednesday interview, General Abdel Samad Sokkar, described as “a security expert,” told the state-owned Channel One’s morning program that the “protest law falls in line with international standards that determine the rights and duties and puts restrictions on practicing both.”

He defended the law, saying that it “includes articles that guarantee freedoms and regulate protests.” Sokkar described Tuesday’s events as a test for the police and security forces, who, he said, are “determined to implement the law regardless of the consequences in order to combat the many threats facing the nation.”

Meanwhile, a front-page story in the state-owned Al-Ahram Wednesday led with the headline “Interior Ministry succeeds in first test of protest law.” The subhead goes further, saying the Interior Ministry “quelled plans to strike tourism in Giza with protests in the capital, and confronted the disturbance of MB students.”

The privately owned Al-Shorouk newspaper led its coverage with a more neutral headline: “Protests downtown force the government to review protest law.” Its report described the effect of the protests, which caused officials to backtrack on implementation of the law and form a review committee.

Al-Masry Al-Youm, another privately owned paper, described the first implementation of the law as a “test for activists and journalists.”

The demonstrations had been organized to protest the use of military courts for civilians. The gatherings defied Egypt’s new legal conditions for holding protests, which require a three-day notice to authorities. The new protest law was approved on Sunday by interim President Adly Mansour.

The protests were broken up by security forces using a water cannon, before chasing and arresting more than 50 activists in front of the Shura Council. Twenty-four male protesters were given a four-day detention pending investigations, while 26 female protesters were released late Tuesday night. According to eyewitness reports, security forces drove the women out of the city before leaving them at the side of a road.

Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi met with activists and representatives of the National Salvation Front Tuesday evening to discuss the new protest law, state-owned daily Al-Ahram reported. Representatives demanded that the government release the detained protesters. It was agreed to form a committee to discuss the protest law in light of strong criticism.

As it stands, the controversial law imposes prison sentences of up to seven years and fines up to LE300,000 on protesters judged to have violated the law.

The UN’s Pillay said, “This is a country whose people have proclaimed loudly, clearly, courageously and repeatedly their desire to be able to demonstrate peacefully in accordance with their international human rights.”

She added, “There is a real risk that the lives of peaceful protestors will be put at risk because of the violent behavior of a few, or because the law may too easily be interpreted by local security authorities in a way that permits them to use excessive force in inappropriate circumstances.”