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
SEPTEMBER 15, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: 24 MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD MEMBERS SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER ATTACKING POLICE
A Beheira criminal court on 29 July 2021 sentenced 24 Muslim Brotherhood members to death for the killing of police officers in two separate cases, a judicial source said.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: FOUR PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER 2013 POLICE STATION ATTACK
A Minya Criminal court on 13 September 2021 sentenced four people to death by hanging and 22 others to life in prison for raiding and torching a police station, which resulted in the death of two policemen.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: 10 DEFENDANTS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SMUGGLING HEROIN
A court in Egypt on 5 September 2021 sentenced seven Pakistanis, two Egyptians and an Iranian citizen to death on charges of smuggling in over two tonnes of heroin by sea, a judicial source said.
- JULY 6, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTY
EGYPT EXECUTES STUDENT WHO WAS 'TORTURED TO CONFESS' TO ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF SENIOR OFFICER
Egyptian authorities on 4 July 2021 carried out the death penalty against a university student after his conviction in the case of the assassination of a high-ranking police officer in Alexandria in 2018.
- JULY 5, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTY
INTERNATIONAL GROUP TO ABOLISH DEATH SENTENCE IN ARAB COUNTRIES ESTABLISHED
An International Committee for the abolition of the death penalty in Arab countries was established on 25 June 2021 under the leadership of former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki.
JULY 1, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SLAYING TEEN SON WITH SCALPEL
An Egyptian court has convicted a father of killing his teenage son with a scalpel and sentenced him to death, Gulf News reported on 29 June 2021.
JUNE 30, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: NINE EXECUTIONS CARRIED OUT IN CAIRO
Nine death sentences were carried out on 27 June 2021 at the Cairo appeals prison, a maximum security facility in Cairo known for holding prisoners on death row.
JUNE 25, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: EIGHT PRISONERS EXECUTED
The Egyptian government executed eight people on 21 June 2021 bringing the total number of people hanged this year alone to 57, according to the NGO Reprieve.
JUNE 24, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: COURT SENTENCES TWO MEN TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF WIFE IN MANSOURA
A criminal court sentenced two men to death on 22 June 2021 for the killing of the wife of one of the perpetrators in Mansoura city last year.
JUNE 15, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: DEATH PENALTY UPHELD FOR 12 BROTHERHOOD MEMBERS
An Egyptian court on 14 June 2021 upheld death sentences for 12 Muslim Brotherhood members, concluding a trial linked to a 2013 mass killing by security forces at an Islamist sit-in, a judicial official said.
JUNE 10, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPING MENTALLY ILL GIRL
An Egyptian court had sentenced a man to death by hanging after convicting him of raping a mentally challenged girl in his house, the Gulf News reported on 8 June 2021.
- MAY 27, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTY
EGYPT: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR SLAYING BROTHER
An Egyptian court has sentenced a local man to death after convicting him of fatally stabbing his younger brother, Gulf News reported on 26 May 2021.