Egypt’s Minister of Justice, Adnan El-Fangary, announced new provisions under the Draft Criminal Procedures Law on Sunday, aimed at overhauling the country’s criminal justice system. The draft law, currently under review in the Egyptian House of Representatives, establishes detailed regulations for pretrial detention, includes strong anti-corruption measures, and introduces comprehensive protections for witnesses participating in criminal proceedings.

El-Fangary presented these provisions during a general session chaired by Speaker Hanafy El-Gebaly, where parliament began discussing the law’s principles. He described the draft legislation as a cornerstone of Egypt’s “new republic,” emphasizing that it was developed following thorough studies to ensure alignment with constitutional and legal standards.

The development of the draft Criminal Procedures Law is based on key recommendations from Egypt’s National Dialogue in August, which proposed 24 reforms regarding pretrial detention and criminal justice to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Notably, 20 of these proposals received unanimous support. In response, President El-Sisi directed the government to include the approved reforms in the draft law, resulting in significant features such as reduced maximum pretrial detention periods, the establishment of electronic appeals mechanisms, and provisions for compensation claims in cases of wrongful detention. In September, the draft law, consisting of 540 articles organized into six books, received preliminary approval from the parliament’s Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, providing a comprehensive framework for criminal procedures.

Despite the ongoing debate over the new Draft Law, human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Committee for Justice have warned that it could worsen existing systemic issues within Egypt’s criminal justice system, particularly concerning transparency and accountability. The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms has also rejected the draft, expressing concerns about the concentration of investigative, prosecutorial, and referral powers within the Public Prosecution. Additionally, the Commission criticized the legislation for granting judicial enforcement officers immunity from accountability for human rights violations.

Egypt’s first Criminal Procedures Law was enacted in 1950 and has undergone numerous amendments over the years, with the most recent significant changes made in January 2024. Despite international concerns over the Draft Law, the discussions in the general parliamentary session commenced on Sunday and are scheduled to continue through Tuesday.