Egypt’s Lawyers Syndicate has accused the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Justice of “blatantly distorting” President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s stated intentions regarding amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, warning the proposed changes represent a serious erosion of defendants’ rights.
In a statement issued Sunday, the Syndicate said the president’s objections were intended to strengthen procedural and constitutional protections for defendants. Instead, the justice ministry’s revised articles—approved by the parliamentary committee—“contradict both the letter and spirit” of the president’s guidance.
President El-Sisi had initially objected to eight articles in the bill, prompting the formation of a special committee, chaired by MP Ahmed Saad El-Din, to review the text.
Several rights groups, including the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights/EIPR and the Egyptian Front for Human Rights/EFHR, criticized the limited scope of the review. They argued that revising only eight articles fails to address what they describe as “fundamental flaws” in the law’s punitive framework.
EIPR said the bill prioritizes state control over constitutional protections. EFHR called the revisions “woefully inadequate.”
A source on the parliamentary committee told Al Manassa that, after internal disputes and walkouts by Lawyers Syndicate President Abdel Halim Allam and MPs Maha Abdel Nasser, Ahmed El-Sharkawy, and Diaa El-Din Dawood, lawmakers agreed to require prosecutors to summon a lawyer before interrogations. If the lawyer fails to arrive on time, however, the session may proceed.
Nasser Amin, director of the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession, told Al Manassa the Lawyers Syndicate’s interpretation of El-Sisi’s memo was “overly diplomatic.” He argued the president’s intent was not to protect defendants, but to align prosecutorial powers with those of judicial officers, who may question suspects without legal counsel in urgent cases under Article 64.
“The proposed changes undermine Article 54 of the constitution,” Amin said. While supporting the Syndicate’s legal concerns, he disagreed on the president’s motivation. “The reality is that all the amendments he requested aim to reduce the safeguards for the accused during the detention and investigation phases,” he told Al Manassa.
Journalists Syndicate President Khaled Elbalshy also backed the Lawyers Syndicate, calling the bill a “clear constitutional breach” and a retreat from the president’s stated commitment to due process, in a statement posted to Facebook.
Elbalshy urged legislators to use the current implementation delay to consult stakeholders, including the Journalists Syndicate, the National Council for Human Rights, and outcomes from the National Dialogue.
The Lawyers Syndicate announced plans to submit a legal memorandum to the presidency and to hold a press conference Wednesday. Local and national branches will remain in permanent session to monitor developments.
The group warned that Article 105, as approved, allows prosecutors to interrogate suspects without defense counsel—“crippling” the right to representation and violating constitutional guarantees.
