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| Africa North |
| Egypt passes anti-terrorism law |
| 2015-08-19 |
| [Chicago Tribune] Egypt passed an anti-terrorism law that gives authorities more powers to crush a growing insurgency in a move that critics of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi say aims to stifle dissent and the freedom of expression. Leading members of any group classified as a terrorist organization will face a life sentence or the death penalty, according to the law that was passed Sunday night. Advocating terrorist acts "directly or indirectly" will be punished by a jail term of at least five years. The law also gives the president, subject to parliamentary approval, the right to close off areas, impose curfews and evict citizens. Journalists would risk paying fines from 200,000 to 500,000 pounds ($64,000) for publishing reports on myrmidon attacks that deviate from the government's narrative. An initial draft of the law had originally stipulated two years in prison for violators. The law "considers as terrorism every criticism or dissenting voice or act not to the liking of authorities," Gamal Eid, head of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, said on Twitter. |
| Posted by:Fred |