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Egypt's Sisi says respects right to protest but warns of harm to economy
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a military ceremony in the courtyard of the Invalides in Paris, November 26, 2014. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Charles Platiau
By Mahmoud Mourad
20/01/2015
CAIRO (Reuters) - President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Tuesday people in Egypthave the right to demonstrate but cautioned that protesting now could cause more harm to the country's battered economy.
Human rights activists say a law restricting protests and other security legislation enacted by Sisi in the absence of a parliament have rolled back freedoms won in a 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Sisi was elected virtually unopposed last May, almost a year after the military he then led toppled freely elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi. A security crackdown under Sisi's watch ended months of economically ruinous anti-government unrest and jailed thousands of Islamists and liberal activists alike, including people for demonstrating without a police permit.
Sisi did not mention various security laws, which have been condemned by rights groups at home and abroad, in his speech. The occasion for his remarks was a Police Day celebration.
"I am more keen on human rights than anybody ... But take care when you demand your rights. Take care, don't take us down with you," Sisi told hundreds of police officers and many senior government officials.
A few months after Mursi's overthrow in July 2013, the government passed a law outlawing demonstrations without the prior approval of a police permit.
In 2011, the Police Day national holiday marked the start of 18 days of mass protests that swept Mubarak from power after 30 years of authoritarian rule.
"I never say that demonstrations are refused. We put the issue of protesting in a distinguished position...But the 90 million people (of Egypt) want to eat, drink, live and be assured about their future," Sisi said.
He called on activists to support government efforts to improve health, education and the lives of the poor, suggesting protests would hinder such efforts.
Egypt has been trying to repair an economy prostrated by political upheaval, street protests and militant violence since the anti-Mubarak revolt. Cairo has launched economic reforms to win back foreign investors since Sisi became president.
Egypt will hold a long-awaited parliamentary election in two phases starting in March. Sisi hopes the vote will deliver stability after years of upheaval. Critics call the vote a sham given what they say is Sisi's clampdown on political freedoms.
(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy; Editing by Maggie Fick and Mark Heinrich)
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