Noticias

El Gobierno de Egipto estudiará las enmiendas presentadas por los redactores jefes de los principales periódicos del país sobre el nuevo proyecto de ley antiterrorista, anunció hoy el titular egipcio de Justicia, Ahmed al Zand.

Al Zand, citado por la agencia oficial de noticias Mena, señaló que el primer ministro egipcio, Ibrahim Mehleb, mantuvo hoy una reunión con esos profesionales y con miembros del sindicato de prensa, tras la que aceptó estudiar sus propuestas en el marco de la determinación de los periodistas y del Gobierno de proteger la seguridad nacional.

Amid a recent upswing of violence in Egypt, the Egyptian government is attempting to once again pass a legislation aiming at curbing a longstanding militancy, only to instigate a wave of criticism.

The head of Egypt’s ultra-Conservative Salafist Nour Party said on Monday that his party had launched its "Egypt is stronger than terrorism" campaign in support of the Egyptian state.

"We have launched our campaign, through our legitimate political party, as a responsibility towards our country," said Nour Party secretary-general Galal Morra.

Egypt's highest judicial authority, the Supreme Judicial Council, on Sunday approved a draft anti-terror law that will impose harsher punishments on those convicted of terrorism charges.

The cabinet last week approved the draft legislation which it said would provide "swift and just deterrence" against terrorism and dry up the sources of terrorism funding.

Informed sources have said that the Egyptian cabinet's weekly meeting, expected on Wednesday, will give priority to discussing laws on terrorism and parliamentary elections.

Minister of Transitional Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ibrahim El-Heneidy told reporters this week that the justice ministry has recently finalised a new law on fighting terrorism.

"It is separate from a recent law on 'terrorist entities', but both complement each other," he said.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry rejected on Friday a United States report critical of the state's human rights practices in 2014, saying it relied on sources which lack "accuracy and credibility."

The ministry said in a statement that though the report included some positive references, it was mired with "fallacies and exaggerations" regarding the status of human rights in Egypt.

Egypt's Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Transitional Justice Ibrahim Al-Heneidy disclosed Sunday that the justice ministry has finalised drafting a new law aimed at cracking down on terrorist crimes. 

"The new 52-article anti-terrorism law is primarily aimed at stemming the tide of funding terrorist activities and organisations and giving new definitions for terrorist crimes," said Heneidy in a press conference.

Recent amendments to three laws necessary to pave the way for Egypt's long-delayed parliamentary elections have drawn fire from the country's mainstream political parties.

The Egyptian Patriotic Movement has rejected the resignation of its leader Ahmed Shafiq, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

The movement’s supreme council said it would form a committee to travel to Abu Dhabi, where the Mubarak-era prime minister has lived  for “security reasons”  since he lost the presidency to Mohamed Morsi in 2012, to convince him to remain with the party.

The council said in a statement that they see Shafiq as a "principle," not a person, and that he is a true symbol of the party and will remain its head “forever.”