In theory, Egypt’s Public Prosecution should be an independent, impartial institution, defending the rights of all Egyptians before the law, notes a new report from the Project on Middle East Democracy. In practice, it has used a variety of tactics to target those whom the regime considers enemies of the state, including opposition groups, human rights defenders, journalists, students, and other dissenting or critical voices.
The Role of the Public Prosecution in Egypt’s Repression, Egyptian lawyer and legal researcher Mohamed El-Ansary closely examines the central role of the Office of the Public Prosecution in the repression of dissent in Egypt. El-Ansary describes the history of the Public Prosecution, the selection process for Public Prosecutor and his staff, and the powers, responsibilities, and practices of the office, with an emphasis on the various tactics and strategies employed by the Public Prosecution to target Egyptian citizens perceived to be enemies or even critics of the current regime.
POMED is a partner of the National Endowment for Democracy, the Washington-based democracy assistance NGO.
The full text of the report is available here.
