File Photo: Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court building in Cairo (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt’s Higher Constitutional Court is scheduled to issue a verdict Saturday on the constitutionality of the country’s controversial protest law, which bans all but police-sanctioned street demonstrations.
The court is considering two lawsuits challenging the legislation. The two cases were filed by a number of rights’ lawyers, including Khaled Ali and Ali Ayoub.
The suits challenge articles in the bill requiring prior notification for protests and granting police the right to ban or postpone a protest if they deem it a “threat to security and peace,” as well as provisions punishing violators with prison terms of at least one year and a minimum fine of EGP 50,000.
The protest law, issued in late 2013, has led to the imprisonment of thousands of youth activists, as well as secular and Islamist protesters alike. It has been widely criticised by local and international rights groups.
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