Egypt
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- presidential republic
- CONSTITUTION
- there have been various constitutions; the latest was approved by the constitutional committee in December 2013 and by the people in the referendum of January 14-15, 2014, then ratified by the interim President on January 19, 2014
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- based on English, Islamic, and Napoleonic systems
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- unicameral system of the House of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nowaab); 596 seats; 448 members directly elected by a majority mechanism, 120 members - with quotas for women, youth, Christians, and workers - elected from lists, and 28 members appointed by the President; the legislature lasts 5 years
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) is composed of the president and 10 judges, serving as the final instance on issues of constitutionality of laws and conflicts between lower courts regarding jurisdiction and rulings; Court of Cassation (CC), composed of the President and 550 judges organized into circuits, is the highest level of appeal for civil and criminal proceedings, referred to as "ordinary"; the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) - is composed of the President and organized into circuits
- DEATH SENTENCES
- 16 confirmed by the Court of Cassation and 4 by the Supreme Military Court
RELIGIONS
90% Muslims; 9% Copts, 1% Christians
From the country
- JANUARY 1, 2003EgyptDEATH PENALTY
Capital crimes are: aggravated murder, arson, rape,...
Capital crimes are: aggravated murder, arson, rape, hijacking, espionage, drug trafficking political and military offenses
- JANUARY 1, 2003EgyptDEATH PENALTY
Egypt has signed but not yet ratified the statutes...
Egypt has signed but not yet ratified the statutes of the International Criminal Court, the UN permanent war crimes tribunal
- JANUARY 1, 2003EgyptDEATH PENALTY
Aggravated murder, arson, rape, hijacking, espionage,...
Aggravated murder, arson, rape, hijacking, espionage, drug trafficking, political and military offences
- JANUARY 1, 2003EgyptDEATH PENALTY
Egypt retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes
Egypt retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes
- JANUARY 1, 2003EgyptDEATH PENALTY
Military and state security courts in Egypt sentenced...
Military and state security courts in Egypt sentenced more than 90 people to death since militant groups like al-Gama'a al-Islamiya took up arms against the state in 1992, and approximately 70 were executed, Reuters reported in March 2000
- JANUARY 1, 2003EgyptDEATH PENALTY
In 1999 the Government abolished an article of the...
In 1999 the Government abolished an article of the Penal Code that permitted a rapist to be absolved of criminal charges if he married his victim
- AUGUST 7, 2002EgyptDEATH PENALTY
Egypt sentenced three men to death for murdering a...
Egypt sentenced three men to death for murdering a man whose fiancee one of the killers wanted to marry, a court source said
- JULY 5, 2002EgyptDEATH PENALTY
Egypt won a new victory in its long war with violent...
Egypt won a new victory in its long war with violent Islamists when leaders of a feared terrorist group publicly renounced violence and asked forgiveness for their crimes
- JULY 4, 2002EgyptDEATH PENALTY
Three Egyptians, identified as Mohamad Abdel-Hadi Mahmoud,...
Three Egyptians, identified as Mohamad Abdel-Hadi Mahmoud, Mohamad Hassan Mohamad Salem and Ali Kamal Rifaie, were executed by hanging for murdering three people in stealing attempts two years ago, the official MENA news agency reported, quoting an offici
- JUNE 13, 2002EgyptDEATH PENALTY
Amnesty International voiced concern that executions...
Amnesty International voiced concern that executions in Egypt had increased dramatically in the past decade and said many convicts were denied fair trials and appeals
- APRIL 30, 2002EgyptDEATH PENALTY
An Egyptian criminal court sentenced a Russian man...
An Egyptian criminal court sentenced a Russian man of Lebanese origin to death for smuggling cocaine into Egypt from Russia, judicial sources said
- APRIL 11, 2002EgyptDEATH PENALTY
A one-armed butcher from Egypt was sentenced to death...
A one-armed butcher from Egypt was sentenced to death in the US for molesting, killing and carving up a 12-year-old boy with a meat cleaver in California