Egypt draft constitution fails to protect key rights: HRW

CAIRO: A draft Egyptian constitution heavily influenced by Islamist conservatives contains articles that could pose a serious threat to basic human rights in post-Mubarak Egypt, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

A 100-strong panel picked in June and headed by senior judge Hossam al-Ghariani has been tasked with drafting the new constitution, after

the old charter was suspended following the 2011 uprising which toppled Hosni Mubarak.

"The constituent assembly has a landmark opportunity to lay the groundwork for respecting human rights in tomorrow's Egypt," said Nadim Houry, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"But its current draft fails to meet that standard because of vague language or limitations that destroy the essence of many rights."

While the draft upholds some civil, political, social and economic rights, "other key provisions are inconsistent with international human rights standards and would pose a serious threat to the future of human rights in Egypt," the New York-based rights group said in a statement.

It said Article 5 of the draft failed to ban torture, Article 36 threatened equality between men and women, while Article 9 -- still under negotiation -- "would amount to a serious threat to freedom of speech and religion."

The 2011 uprising that ousted Mubarak and changed the course of the Arab world's most populous nation was largely driven by popular anger at police impunity.

"The failure to fully prohibit torture is especially surprising given the fact that anger against police abuse played a central role in the January 2011 uprising," HRW said.

Another cause for concern was Article 36 which has already prompted several demonstrations by women's rights activists.

See the article here:
Egypt draft constitution fails to protect key rights: HRW