Egypt is poised to adopt a new law aimed at overhauling the judicial process, but human rights groups warn it could entrench long-standing abuses including arbitrary detention, travel bans and expedited trials.The legislation, currently awaiting approval by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is being promoted by the government as a step toward streamlining legal procedures, from arrest to trial.Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has told the UN Human Rights Council it would bring a “legislative revolution to criminal justice” in Egypt.Ihab al-Tamawy, the head of the parliamentary subcommittee charged with drafting the new code, told AFP it “introduces a set of new guarantees” on Egypt’s notorious pretrial detention system, as well as the role of the public prosecution.But critics say the bill risks codifying repressive practices that have long eroded due process in the country.According to rights defenders, the law expands the powers of police and prosecutors and limits the role of defence lawyers, undermining judicial oversight and the right to a fair trial.In one of the new provisions that have come under scrutiny, public prosecutors will be able to order travel bans without a warrant “in cases of emergency”.The law will also allow police to enter homes without an arrest warrant in cases of “distress” or “danger”, which are not clearly defined.In April, UN rights chief Volker Turk “raised concerns” over the law and called on Sisi to “consider carefully” before signing it into force, “to ensure that it fully complies with Egypt’s international human rights obligations”.- Right to fair trial -Egypt currently ranks 135th out of 142 countries on the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index.In the latest UN review of its rights record in January, Egypt faced accusations of “systemic and widespread” rights violations, including torture, enforced disappearances and unfair trials.In recent years, Egypt has been accused of formalising into normal law exceptional measures previously allowed in states of emergency.According to prominent human rights lawyer Khaled Ali, the law “does not truly combat corruption, expands the powers granted to the police and prosecution and undermines the role of defence lawyers,” which he said is “essential to a fair trial”.Along with 15 other independent lawyers, Ali submitted 176 proposed amendments to the law, none of which were adopted.Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt researcher at Amnesty International, told AFP the bill “codifies practices that were already taking place outside the boundaries of the law, and grants them legitimacy in an attempt to improve Egypt’s image”.According to Karim Ennarah, research director at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), the new changes will come at the expense of investigations, defendants and their lawyers.Under the new law, defence lawyers can be denied access to case files and witnesses — “practices already common, but that will now become legal,” Ennarah said.- ‘Recycling’ -The law will also expand remote trials, which Ennarah describes as “rushed” virtual hearings, where dozens of jailed defendants are corralled behind a screen on a video call with a judge.Remote trials “undermine two fundamental principles of a fair trial”, according to Ennarah, namely “the defendant’s right to meet privately with their lawyer, and their right to appear before a judge” to assess any harm or abuse inflicted upon them.Egypt is routinely criticised for the widespread use of pretrial detention, a phenomenon that proponents say is addressed under the new law.While the maximum period for remand detention will be reduced from 24 to 18 months, Amnesty International has warned the law “provides no safeguards against abusive prolonged pretrial detention”.According to Shalaby, many of Egypt’s estimated tens of thousands of political prisoners are victims of a practice known as “recycling” detainees.Under the much-maligned “revolving door policy”, prisoners are often handed new charges instead of being released, restarting the clock on their remand period.Another issue, he says, is that when the law goes into effect, citizens will no longer be able to sue “in case of violations during their arrest or detention”.In 2024, EIPR documented 10 cases of torture-related deaths in detention facilities.Rights groups regularly report cases of medical neglect, abuse and overcrowding in Egyptian prisons.

The ceasefire that ended Iran’s 12-day war with Israel has held for nearly a month without incident, but many Iranians remain uneasy, struggling with uncertainty as fears of another confrontation linger.”I don’t think this ceasefire will last,” said Peyman, a 57-year-old resident of Shiraz in Iran’s south, one of numerous cities hit last month as Israel unleashed an unprecedented bombing campaign against its staunch rival.The Israeli offensive targeted key nuclear facilities and military sites, killing top commanders and nuclear scientists and hundreds of other people, while also wreaking havoc in some residential areas.The attacks triggered the fiercest fighting in history between the longtime foes, ending with a ceasefire announced on June 24.But Israel has signalled it could return to fighting if Iran attempts to rebuild nuclear facilities or carry out any actions deemed a threat, such as moving to develop an atomic bomb — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied it was pursuing.Iran, in turn, has vowed to deliver a harsh response if attacked again.Nuclear diplomacy with the United States — which briefly joined the war with strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites — has stalled, deepening a sense of uncertainty about what lies ahead.”I am scared the war would start again,” said Hamid, a 54-year-old government employee who gave only his first name.”It will lead to the death of more innocent people and the destruction of the country’s infrastructure.”During the war, Israel struck major Iranian cities including the capital Tehran, hitting military sites, government buildings and the state television headquarters.More than 1,000 people were killed in Iran, according to authorities. Retaliatory missile and drone attacks killed 29 people in Israel.- ‘Don’t want to flee again’ -Many residents fled Tehran, seeking refuge in other parts of the country, even though few regions were untouched by the blasts and smoke-covered skies.Nearly a month later, a series of fires that broke out across Iran in recent days — including one at a major oil facility — have triggered speculations which officials were quick to dismiss, denying any acts of sabotage.”This war really frightened me,” said 78-year-old housewife Golandam Babaei, from the western Kermanshah province.She lived through the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, a painful memory for many of her generation.”I kept telling myself, please God, do not let the past repeat itself,” Babaei told AFP.The war with Israel, although much shorter and fought mostly with air strikes and missiles rather than by ground forces, revived grim memories of the conflict with Iraq.That war, triggered by an Iraqi invasion in 1980, killed an estimated 500,000 people on both sides.It featured chemical warfare and prolonged front-line bombardments, scarring Iranians in the then-nascent Islamic republic born out of the 1979 revolution.Since then, for decades, Iran had managed to keep conflicts away from its territory. But now after the 12-day war with Israel, some Iranians feel a profound sense of vulnerability.”I kept thinking I don’t want to flee again, we have nowhere to go. I cannot run to the mountains like the past,” said Babaei.- Uncertain future -For Ali Khanzadi, a 62-year-old war veteran, the conflict with Israel highlighted a change compared to the 1980s when “we didn’t have any advanced military equipment” to fight the Iraqis.Khanzadi, who was wounded in battle in 1983, said that the war with Israel, while much shorter, had a more sinister dimension.Unlike in the past, modern military technology means “they can kill a child in his sleep remotely using a drone,” he said.In the face of the Israeli threats and attacks, Iranian authorities have repeatedly invoked national unity.Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said the offensive was aimed at toppling the Islamic republic’s clerical system, and urged Iranian diplomats and military officials to proceed with “care and precision” as the country cautiously moves on.Tehran has said it remained open to nuclear diplomacy with the United States which the war had derailed, but officials have expressed concerns over renewed attacks and demanded unspecified US guarantees to resume negotiations.Ordinary Iranians appear to share fears that the conflict could erupt again.”I hope that this will not happen,” said Hamid.Babaei said she was praying “for peace, for us to remain safe in our homes”.