The Egyptian parliament’s constitutional and legislative affairs committee voted in a meeting on Monday morning in favour of a legislative amendment aimed at exempting prosecution authorities from the stipulation that the lists of persons or entities designated as terrorist be published in the Egyptian Gazette.

Head of the committee Bahaaeddin Abu Shoka said that Article 5 of law 8/2015 on regulating the lists of terrorist entities and terrorists should be amended.

“This article stipulates that any decisions related to the designating of certain persons or entities as terrorist or removing any of these from the lists of terrorist entities be published in the official Egyptian gazette,” said Abu Shoka, “this means that whenever there is a change in such lists the prosecution should publish it in the official gazette, a measure which puts a very costly burden on prosecution authorities.”

Abu Shoka said that Minister of Justice Mohamed Hossam Abdel-Reheim sent a report to parliament recommending that the law on terrorist entities be amended to exempt prosecution authorities from this stipulation.

“This stipulation forces prosecution authorities to spend a lot of money and this should come to an end, especially as it does not violate the constitution, and as the decisions taken by the prosecution on terror lists observe neutrality and objectivity,” said the minister of justice.

The law on terrorist entities and terrorists was issued in February 2015 to help fight terrorist crimes and tighten the grip on sources of funding terrorist organisations. The law stipulates that prosecution authorities should publish all decisions related to lists of entities or persons designated as terrorists.