FJP and Muslim Brotherhood: Certain Media Report Baseless Lies on Citizens’ Arrest Powers

 Hostile Egyptian media circulate doubtful reports about as yet unseen militia and ‘popular committees’ taking over the role of the Interior Ministry, after the Public Prosecutor reminded that existing laws allow people the right of citizen’s arrest.

Sobhi Saleh, member of Shura Council (upper house of Egypt’s parliament), said at a meeting of the Council: "The Constitution provides for the arrest of any person found committing a crime or a felony; and so does the law, where article 37 of the Criminal Procedure Law states that ‘any criminal can be arrested, if found committing a crime, and handed over to relevant authorities’. This is what the Public Prosecutor highlighted. This, therefore, is part and parcel of existing laws, contrary to contrived media myths.

"Scaremongering media falsely spoke of the idea of ‘Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’, spreading rumors, contrary to what the fifty-year old text of the law says. Popular protection of Egyptian streets cannot be a substitute for the Ministry of the Interior."

On the same subject, Dr. Mahmoud Ghozlan, Muslim Brotherhood leader, affirmed that the Brotherhood has nothing to do with published claims that private security companies are to be granted judicial arrest powers, "attributing such matters to the Brotherhood is a continuation of the orchestrated campaign of lies meant to vilify the group.

"We have absolutely nothing to do with this issue. We heard about it in the media. They publish such fabricated stories to just keep talking about the baseless myth of Ikhwanization of the State."