The Committee to Protect Journalists, along with 11 other press freedom and human rights organizations, calls on Egyptian authorities to reject the current draft of the Criminal Procedure Code so a new code be developed in line with international human rights standards.
The joint statement highlights several problematic provisions in the draft--especially Articles 79, 80, and 116--that could effectively legalize unauthorized surveillance by granting authorities broad powers to intercept private communications. The draft's vague language and insufficient safeguards raise serious concerns about potential abuses, such as targeting journalists, compromising source confidentiality, and exposing both reporters and their informants to arbitrary detention or even torture.
Egypt has previously deployed spyware to target critics, including journalists and politicians, and was ranked as the world's sixth-worst country for press freedom last year.
