Analysts: Anti-terrorism law divides Egypt

CAIRO

A new anti-terrorism law that sets a death penalty for some terrorism offenses has divided analysts in Egypt.

While some see the controversial legislation as a tool for stifling freedoms, others argue that the law will be a means for achieving swift justice.

“It’s unclear how far the law will be effective in combating terrorism,” Hasan Nafaa, a political science professor, told Anadolu Agency by phone on Monday. “However, it’s seen that the law stifles freedoms and broadens the definition of terrorism,” he said.

Nafaa said the new legislation, approved by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday, restricts freedom of opinion and the press.

“There is no guarantee that the law will be applied to those committing acts of terrorism,” he said.

The controversial law punishes anyone found guilty of forming or leading a terrorist group with death. Financing a terrorist group will carry a life sentence (25 years in prison).

The law also slaps those found guilty of inciting violence or creating a website deemed to spread terrorist messages with jail terms ranging between five to seven years.

Under the law, trials for suspected militants will be fast-tracked through special courts and anyone found guilty of joining a militant group could face 10 years in prison.

-‘Dark state’

Human rights activist Gamal Eid said the new legislation consolidates the “dark state”.

“The issuance of the law despite criticism does not auger well,” Eid, the head of the Arab Network for Human Rights, told Anadolu Agency.

He said the law was issued as part of a “deliberate intention to stumble the presence of a parliament with a view to consolidating the president’s grip on the legislative power”.

Egypt has not had a parliament since the dissolution of its 2012 assembly. In the absence of a functioning parliament, Sisi currently holds legislative authority.

Under the new law, journalists who publish news that contradicts with the official version of events will pay a hefty fine between 200,000 and 500,000 Egyptian pounds ($25,000 and $64,000).

“The new law did not meet the demands of the Journalists Syndicate,” Gamal Abdel-Rahim, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, told Anadolu Agency.

The original draft of the law called for jail terms for journalists, but the bill was amended after an outcry from Egyptian and foreign rights groups.

“The fine is very hefty and will automatically lead to the jailing of journalists and closure of newspapers,” Abdel-Rahim said. “No journalist will be able to pay such a fine.”

However, Nabil Salem, a professor of law, said the new law will help achieve swift justice in Egypt.

“The new law fast-tracks trials, which will help achieve swift justice,” he said.

He argued that the legislation aims to curtail the number of terrorism offenses.

“This law adds to the penal code,” he said, citing that it stipulates a life sentence or the death penalty for committing acts of terrorism.

“The penal code stipulates only jail terms for terrorism acts and it rarely punished [convicts] with death.”

Egypt has been roiled by violence and turmoil since the military overthrew elected President Mohamed Morsi in a 2013 .