BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A column by Human Rights Watch (HRW) released Wednesday claims Egypt's new counter-terrorism law threatens basic human rights.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued an anti-terrorism law on Aug. 15, which grants prosecutors greater power to arrest suspects and withhold them from due process as well as the ability to execute deep and "potentially indefinitive surveillance" of potential terrorists without needing a court order to do so.
Nadim Houry, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director for HRW, says that President al-Sisi's decree takes Egypt one step further toward a "permanent state of emergency" that could see basic civil disobedience punished by heavy sentences including the death penalty.
Amongst the acts that the new law criminalizes are the publication or promotion of news terrorism-related news that contradicts the defense ministry's official statements, and equalizes punishments for suspicion and execution of a terrorist crime. The law also erodes time limits for prosecuting terrorist acts, meaning there is no expiration date for suspected or committed crimes linked to terrorism to be tried in court.
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HRW is also taking issue with the law's definition of terrorism, which involves any act done to "Disrupt general order or endanger the safety, interests or security of society; harm individual liberties or rights; harm national unity, peace, security, the environment or buildings or property; prevent or hinder public authorities, judicial bodies, government facilities, and others from carrying out all or part of their work and activity."
The organization claims that this definition far exceeds the definition adopted by the United Nations Security Council in 2004, adding also that the new law counters the basic idea of international human rights law that requires legislation to be precisely written so as to avoid its arbitrary use in prosecuting a crime.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed an opinion that agrees with HRW's sentiments, claiming that Egypt will not be able to fight terrorism effectively unless it showed greater respect for human rights. Kerry additionally claims that if trust does not exist between authorities and the public, "more misguided people will be driven to violence and there will be more attacks."
Since 2012, Egypt has lacked a lower house of parliament. In its absence, President al-Sisi has signed 175 pieces of legislation since taking office in June of 2014, with his government repeatedly postponing elections. Since the overthrow of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, President al-Sisi and his administration have been discussing an anti-terrorism law aimed against the Muslim Brotherhood, which Morsi used to be a part of.
