Massive Condemnations against Police Authority Draft Law [Archives:2000/18/Local News]

Many political parties, lawyers and MPs denounced the ‘Police Authority Draft Law’ currently under discussion in the Parliament, asserting that it is just similar to the ‘Demonstration Draft Law’ which was stopped by the Parliament after a strong opposition campaign.
The new police draft law gives the police the right to launch arbitrary arrest and fire at suspect people.
The draft law contains a number of violations including arresting any person, examining him even without any legal or judiciary warrant. It also entitles them to fire at anyone, sentenced to at least three months prison term, who tries to escape. This is actually a violation of lawful regulations which stipulate that punishment should be proportionate to the crime. The draft law includes in article (8) provision (y) that the security has the right to pursue and arrest those who escape from justice by any possible means. This means that firing at them may be one the first ways to think of and will be applied for any reason and for any violation.
Further more, article no (5) envisages that the security has the right to fire at any crowed of more than five people and are suspected to violate the public security.
Political parties, lawyers and MPs called upon all the civil organizations and other parties as well to protest against this draft law. The Parliament endorsed two weeks ago the proposal to return this draft law to the Constitutional Committee and the Defense Committee in the Parliament before discussing it.

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