ACIJLP renews its stance regarding rejecting the enactment of law to regulate the right to demonstrate Unless preceded by legislation that emphasize the respect for the rights and freedoms and the institutional reform of the security and police services

Cairo, 25th November, 2013

The ACIJLP renews its stance regarding rejecting the enactment of law to regulate the right to demonstrate

Unless preceded by legislation that emphasize the respect for the rights and freedoms and the institutional reform of the security and police services

The Arab center for the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession (ACIJLP) expresses its rejection to law No. 107 of 2013 to organize the right to public meetings, peaceful processions and demonstrations, "known in the media in Egypt by Demonstration law," where the ACIJLP believes that the enactment of such law at this time requires necessarily to be preceded or coincided with package of legislation that emphasizes the desire of the Egyptian authorities in the protection of rights and freedoms, as well as taking the necessary measures towards institutional reform of the security and police services.

The ACIJLP emphasizes that the legislation that should be issued before enacting a law regulating the right to demonstrate is particularly as follows:

First: the law against torture that includes the definition of torture, as set out in international covenants and legislation, in particular the Convention against torture and other cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment, and to toughen the penalty of this crime to confirm the rejection of this crime on the governmental and non-governmental level of and in society.

Second: a law to combat discrimination, that includes informative and clear rejection of discrimination in all its forms and manifestations, whether that based on religion, belief,  color, political opinion, gender, social origin, or economic status, or any other reason of discrimination, as well as the criminalization of the penalty  of this discrimination in public office.

Third: a law to combat corruption in all its forms and manifestations, whether financial, administrative, or political corruption or other types of corruption, and toughening the penalty of this crime. Moreover, the authorities should expressly disclose in this Act its rejection to all forms of corruption, and its commitment to develop a strategy to combat corruption as one of the most important demands of the January revolution.

Fourth: the law guaranteeing the right to freedom of thought and belief should provide openly to citizens and target groups for the right to freedom of thought and belief without harassment or threat or any kind of prosecution, especially security and judicial prosecutions, and it should criminalize the attack on this right as one of the fundamental rights and freedom of citizens.

The ACIJLP believes also that the enactment of such law before taking the necessary measures on institutional reform of the Egyptian police, would allow the security and police authorities to dominate and control the practice of the citizens of their right to demonstrate, which may lead eventually to confiscation of the right to demonstrate.