Dostour Party Chief Sayyed al-Masry rejected the draft law on protests, describing it as “unsuitable with regards to topic, content and timing”.
During his meeting with Ziad Bahaa Eddin, the deputy prime minister, Masry said that there is no need to issue a new law on protests, adding that if that law is imposed the party will only approve it after it had been amended.
A statement issued by the party on Wednesday said Egypt has an arsenal of laws that enable the state to control violence, road blocking, threats to citizens' interests and armed protests if the law is implemented properly, particularly in light of the current State of Emergency.
The statement reiterated Masry's position, saying the party will reject the current draft law unless it is radically amended.
The statement said that the party cannot possibly accept a law that deprives Egyptians of their right to staging peaceful sit-ins, adding that the condition requiring a one-week notification ahead of protests has no match in any of the countries of the world. Laws usually require a 24-hour notification in advance of a protest.
The statement added that, oddly enough, the law holds the police responsible for addressing the reasons that cause protests. The law also considers protesters, no matter how peaceful, accountable for any wrong behaviors one or a few of them might undertake.
The law also allows the cancellation of a protest if the protesters are believed to have an intention to break the law, the statement said, adding that it is quite strange to call off a protest based on the intentions of the protesters.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
