Egypt’s journalists worry new anti-terror law could send them to jail
Egypt’s new draft anti-terrorism law is not sitting well with journalists, who claim the law is unnecessary and violates the rights of the Egyptian people.
CAIRO — Egypt’s proposed anti-terrorism law continues to stir up controversy under the critical eye of journalists and human rights groups who say it violates the constitution and seeks to squelch freedom of the press.
Khaled el-Balshi, a board member of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, called certain articles in the proposal “shameful.” Members of the press have submitted proposed amendments to those articles, and the government expects to complete its deliberations within a few days, after which the legislation will be submitted within a week to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for approval.
The government seeks rapid enactment of the legislation, which it says is necessary after a recent series of attacks. The June 29 assassination of Egypt’s top public prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, by a car bomb attack on his convoy, the subsequent terrorist bombings and the terrorist attack that occurred in conjunction with a number of ambushes in northern Sinai that killed 17 recruits have driven the Egyptian government to expedite the proposal.
“The arm of justice is chained by the law. We’re going to amend the law to allow us to implement justice as soon as possible,” Sisi told the Egyptian people June 30.
