Egypt reopens debate on rights bill after rare presidential reversal

Cairo – Egypt’s parliament reopened debate Wednesday on a criminal code overhaul that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rejected in a rare move, demanding changes to guarantee the right to a fair trial.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli urged MPs to address Sisi’s concerns on “clarity” and “fairness” after rights groups and the United Nations called on the president to hold off on ratifying the bill he received in April.

Critics say the law risks codifying repressive practices that have long eroded the right to a fair trial in the country, including arbitrary detention and police misconduct.

Sisi said last month that the law must be reconsidered to “remove ambiguities”, bolster the right to due process and provide alternatives to Egypt’s notorious pretrial detention system.

Rights defenders had criticised the law for expanding powers given to the police and prosecutors at the expense of defendants and their lawyers, undermining judicial oversight and the right to a fair trial.

Sisi also said the law should “guarantee the sanctity of the home” after a draft seen by AFP had given authorities the power to enter homes without an arrest warrant.

The country’s foremost rights group, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said parliament had a “rare opportunity to reconsider the law’s overall philosophy” and not just insert cosmetic changes.

Human Rights Watch has called on parliament to “completely revise the draft law to eliminate” rights concerns.

Egypt is regularly criticised for its rights record including enforced disappearances, unfair trials and the widespread use of pretrial detention for years at a time.

Rights groups estimate tens of thousands of political prisoners are currently in detention, many in inhumane conditions.