Egypt’s President has announced an extension to the country’s state of emergency. The extension will start on Monday and will last for three months. This is the 13th extension to the state of emergency which was originally declared on 10 April 2017. It means the Egyptian armed forces and police can take any steps necessary to tackle terrorism and its financing, uphold security throughout the country and protect public and private properties. The relevant Decision has been published in the Official Gazette. It also allows the President to restrict freedom of assembly, movement and residency in the country. Powers of law enforcement are also significantly extended and citizens can be arrested or detained for extended periods of time if they are considered a national security threat. In addition, censorship is allowed under a state of emergency and the Government can shut down media outlets for security reasons. However, the state of emergency has to be approved by a majority of the House of Representatives within a week of it being declared. Full story
