Maat Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Studies, in its capacity as the coordinator of the Egyptian Coalition Against the Death Penalty, expressed its optimism about the developments in the death penalty file in Egypt that raising controversy over the death penalty represents a positive step towards reconsidering it once again and may lead to its replacement or abolition from Egyptian legislation, based on that until the continuation of The application of that penalty did not reduce the incidents of premeditated murder or rape, nor did it eliminate the drug trade, and since the Center adopted a campaign against the death penalty in Egypt, it has been working hard to amend or abolish Egyptian laws that are excessive in the use of the death penalty or abolish it, especially in political crimes.
The coalition calls on the National Council for Human Rights to adopt a clear and frank opinion on the death penalty that supports the opinion of human rights organizations calling for abolition and to present the case to the members for discussion and deliberation, explaining that the cancellation is not contrary to Islamic law or the rest of the other divine religions. Or amnesty, as Islam was not a religion of violence or extremism, in addition to the fact that Egyptian laws contain about 60 articles that provide for the death penalty in the penal code, the drug law, the laws on weapons and ammunition, and the law on military trials.
The Center also expresses keen interest in the joint adoption by a number of countries of the world of the draft resolution proposed by the General Assembly at the United Nations calling for a global ban on executions in the world, and that this project may have an impact in support of the overruling demands.
Recent statistics also show that there are more than 25 countries in Asia that have abolished the death penalty in their laws. In Africa, only 6 of the 53 countries in the African continent carried out executions in 2006.
Therefore, the coalition calls on the Egyptian government to agree to the draft resolution and not to introduce any amendments to it, the aim of which is to empty the law of its content on the pretext that this project may lead to prejudice to the sovereignty of the Egyptian state and that it represents an infringement of the national culture.