Egyptian legal experts back military

Egyptian legal experts have backed the claim made by the country’s military that it must deal with potential terrorism, saying the goal is legal according to the recent Constitution Declaration. Mass rival rallies by supporters and opponents of ousted president Mohammed Morsi rocked the country Friday after the head of the armed forces General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on Egyptians to protest in order to give the military a “mandate” to combat what he called “violence and terrorism”. Speaking on Friday, experts pointed to Article 10 of Egypt's Constitutional Declaration which declares the right of the Egyptian people to organise peaceful demonstrations, emphasising the need to tackle violence witnessed during recent demonstrations. Professor of Law Ahmed Refaat from Cairo University described defence minister Sisi’s plea for a popular mandate to defeat terrorism as “completely legal”, adding that the military leader had appealed directly to the people due to the current absence of a legislative authority in the country. The lawmaking Shura Council was dissolved by interim president Adly Mansour on July 5. Refaat’s statement was echoed by a second legal expert, Ahmed el-Rashidy, who said Sisi’s appeal for a popular mandate was compatible with the Constitutional Declaration, which says the Egyptian people are the source of authority. He added that criminal law permitted the armed forces and police to intervene to prevent terrorist acts. Finally, Professor of Law Mohamed Yehia from Ain Shams University said Sisi had acted in accordance with the law and Constitutional Declaration, adding that the military sought a popular mandate so that Morsi supporters would not be able to claim that the army was persecuting and killing them. Critics of General Sisi have argued that in reality he is seeking a mandate to crack down on Muslim Brotherhood supporters who oppose the army ouster of former president Morsi.