The state minister for legal and parliamentary affairs denied Monday discussing a law on protecting the goals of the 25 January revolution that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak.
“As of now, there are no foundations for a law on protecting the revolution’s goals,” the minister, Mohamed Mahsoub Abdel Meguid, said on Twitter. “No discussions have been made over the articles published by some newspapers, and all are merely wrong journalist speculations.”
State-run papers reported Monday that the government had finalized a draft law to protect society from dangerous felons and protect the revolution’s gains.
Al-Ahram newspaper published articles of the alleged law that would grant the state vast authorities to confine and arrest people.
Al-Ahram said the first article of the draft law would enable authorities to confine suspects to a certain location for no more than 30 days, bar them from specific places, subject them to police surveillance, and send to a rehab every felon who threatens to, or carries out, violence against individuals and facilities.
Several media outlets had reported that Prime Minister Hesham Qandil met with Abdel Meguid, Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky and Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal Eddin Sunday to prepare a law on protecting the revolution as per directives by President Mohamed Morsy.
No official statements were made at the end of the three-hour meeting. The Cabinet declined to comment on details of the discussions or articles to be included in the law.
