The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate has renewed its call to release 23 journalists held in pretrial detention, following their arrest for expressing their views.
In a recently released statement, the Press Freedom Committee of the syndicate revealed that multiple requests for their release have been directed to key state bodies, including the Public Prosecutor’s office, the Presidential Pardon Committee, and the National Dialogue’s Board of Trustees.
The committee criticised recent actions involving the arrest of journalists and the release of others as “negative” signals from the ruling regime, suggesting a step back from previous advancements in this area.
Additionally, the syndicate emphasised the importance of revising the draft Criminal Procedures Law, which is presently under review by the Legislative Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives. They urged that the draft be subjected to public debate rather than being passed without adequate alignment with societal expectations.
The committee expressed concern that the draft law undermines efforts made during national dialogue sessions, where consensus was reached on amendments related to pretrial detention. The bill presented to Parliament, they argued, disregards many of these recommendations.