The No Military Trials for Civilians group has asked the 10 judge committee to amend the 2012 constitution to ban military trials for civilians.
In its submission to the committee, the group suggested restricting article 198, which states that military courts have the right to adjudicate any offence related to the armed forces, to those involving defendants in the military.
Article 198 states that civilians should only be tried in military courts for offences that harm the armed forces. However the group advocates for banning military trials for civilians outright.
The group, formed of rights lawyers, journalists and activists, suggests that article 75 regarding the right to litigation should be left untouched.
They also proposed an article to ensure justice and compensation for court-martialled civilians, and to hold accountable those responsible for these trials.
Group member Maha Ma’moun said the group had not received a response to their submission but said she was hopeful they would be taken into consideration when amending the constitution.
Constitutional Expert Ibrahim Darwish however said the constitution should be completely rewritten. “The constitution has fallen by the people’s will during the 30th June revolution.” Darwish said he believed that the constitution writing process should include “the entire spectrum of the Egyptian people”. He said he opposed the formation of a committee, which he described as being composed of “non-experts”.
