30 Human rights organizations warn of the danger of amending the Constitution of 2012 And call upon a new constitution for the country

 

Cairo, 21^st July 2013  

30 Human rights organizations warn of the danger of amending the Constitution of 2012

                            And call upon a new constitution for the country                           

Human rights organizations who signed this statement express their profound concern over for the path of constitutional progress of the country, especially with regard to the amendments to the Constitution of 2012 which advocated sectarianism and discrimination between citizens and did not ensure the protection of fundamental human rights. This Constitution is drafted in political circumstances overtaken by the will of the people of Egypt, which came out on June 30 to correct the path of the 25 January Revolution, and resulting in the formation of a Constituent Assembly in which the Supreme Constitutional Court declared the unconstitutionality of the criteria for selecting its members, a matter which cannot continue its work, especially after the Egyptian people announced the rejection of the system of the Muslim Brotherhood and the resulting acts, mainly the Constitution of 2012, which fell the legitimacy of the revolution expressed by Egyptian peopleduring the 30^th June events.

The human rights organizations are deeply worried from this path after selecting one of the advisers known for his bias to the Muslim Brotherhood in the Committee on amending the constitution drafted by a decree issued by the President of the Republic, putting the country at risk of repeating the tragedy of the Committee which amended the constitution of 71 following the fall of the Mubarak regime and headed by Chancellor Tarek El-Bishry and included in its membership members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and caused disastrous results confound the constitutional path of the country till now.

The signatory organizations to this statement believes that the Egyptian people, who came out on June 30 events to correct the path of the Revolution deserves to draft a new constitution for himself, realizing the goals of the revolution, which called for freedom, dignity, justice, and their efforts and dreams of accepting certain amendments to the Constitution fallen by revolutionary legitimacy should not be ignored.

The organizations also warn that the acceptance of certain amendments to the inactivated Constitution of 2012 and succumbing to political bargaining and consensus at the expense of the higher Constitutional values and legal considerations, will lead the country to a disaster, such as those resulting from the former regime, which underwent the country to extortion of some currents of political Islam under the pretext of compatibility and harmonization.

The organizations call upon the Egyptian people to peaceful mobilization and uphold the right to draft a new and full constitution for the country to achieve their dream to build a democratic state. They also demand the President of the Republic to undertake his national and constitutional responsibility and need for immediate intervention in order to save the country from falling into the abyss by rebuilding state institutions before drafting a new and full constitution, aiming to build a modern civil democratic state ruled by law and respect human rights and the independence of the judiciary.

The undersigned organizations:               

         1.         The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP)

         2.         The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights

         3.         Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners

         4.         The Arab Penal Reform Organisation (APRO)

         5.         Center for Trade Union and Workers Services

         6.         The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement (EACPE)

         7.         The Egyptian Foundation for Family Development (EFFD)

         8.         Center for Appropriate communication means for Development (ACT)

         9.         The Arab Awareness Centre for Rights and Law

       10.       The Land Center for Human Rights

       11.       One World Foundation for Development and Human Rights

       12.       The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights

       13.       Andalus Institute for Tolerance

       14.       Dialogue Forum for Development and Human Rights

       15.       The Egyptian Center for Housing Rights

       16.       Cairo Center for Development and Human Rights

       17.       Center for Alternative Development Studies

       18.       Al Kalema center for human rights

       19.       The Egyptian Association for the Assistance of Juveniles and Human Rights

       20.       The International Center for Supporting Rights and Freedoms (ICSRF)

       21.       My Rights Movement

       22.       Habi Center for Environmental Rights

       23.       Al-haq center for Democracy and Human Rights

       24.       Center for Rural Studies        

       25.       Human Rights Association in Assiut

       26.       Justice and Development Organization for Human Rights

       27.       Arab Foundation for Civil Society and Human Rights Support

       28.       Egyptian Women's issues Foundation

       29.       Women's Group for Human Rights

30. Shams Center for Democratic Studies