‘Restricted’ Immunity to High Ranking Officers in Egypt

Egyptian Parliament. AFP/Asmaa Waguih
Egyptian Parliament. AFP/Asmaa Waguih
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‘Restricted’ Immunity to High Ranking Officers in Egypt

Egyptian Parliament. AFP/Asmaa Waguih
Egyptian Parliament. AFP/Asmaa Waguih

The Egyptian Parliament has passed a draft-law to give senior military officers “restricted” immunity from prosecution and diplomatic status when traveling abroad.

The bill was endorsed by a majority of parliamentarians with only eight MPs in the 596-seat assembly voting against it.

It would come into effect once published in Egypt’s Official Gazette.

It stipulates granting immunity to officers for any action they might have carried out from July 2013 to January 2016, when the current Parliament started its first session about two months after it was elected, unless the Supreme Armed Forces Council opposes it.

The law also protects military officials named by a presidential decree from interrogation or prosecution for “any action committed” during this period.

Separately, the Parliament’s approval of a draft-law to offer citizenship to foreigners has stirred reactions.

The draft-law stipulates that foreigners staying in Egypt could get a stay-with-deposit visa by paying no less than 7 million Egyptian pounds (less than $400).

It also calls on the interior minister to grant the Egyptian nationality to foreigners who stay in Egypt with a deposit for at least five successive years.

Before becoming law, the draft bill would be the subject of further consultations at the Parliament and needs the final approval of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Head of Parliament’s defense and national security committee General Kamal Amer defended the law and said it grants incentives to foreigners to invest in the country.

However, Egyptian MP Haitham al-Hariri accused the government of "selling the Egyptian citizenship.”



Iran Rejects Accusations it Interfered in Syria

Women smoke a water pipe as they sit on a lookout area at the mount Qasioun in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Women smoke a water pipe as they sit on a lookout area at the mount Qasioun in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
TT

Iran Rejects Accusations it Interfered in Syria

Women smoke a water pipe as they sit on a lookout area at the mount Qasioun in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Women smoke a water pipe as they sit on a lookout area at the mount Qasioun in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Iran's foreign ministry on Thursday expressed “concern” over “the spread of chaos and violence” in Syria and rejected accusations that Tehran interfered in Syria, after the new Syrian foreign minister told Tehran not to spread chaos in his country.
"We reject the baseless accusations by some media ... against Iran over interfering in Syria's internal affairs," Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying by state media.
"It is necessary to prevent the spread of insecurity and violence ... and ensure the security of Syrian citizens," he added.

Syria's newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, said on Tuesday that Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and Syria's sovereignty and security.

"We warn them against spreading chaos in Syria and we hold them accountable for the repercussions of the latest remarks," he said.

On Sunday, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Syrian youth to "stand with firm determination against those who have orchestrated and brought about this insecurity.”

Khamenei forecast "that a strong and honorable group will also emerge in Syria because today Syrian youth have nothing to lose,” calling the country unsafe.

The former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohsen Rezaee, said that the Syrian people “will not remain silent in the face of foreign occupation and aggression” or “the tyranny of an internal group.”

He added: "They will revive the resistance in Syria in a new form in less than a year."

"They will fail the malicious and deceptive plan led by America, the Zionist entity, and the regional countries that have been manipulated,” he added.