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| Africa North |
| Cairo extends emergency law for two years |
| 2010-05-12 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Egypt's parliament voted on Tuesday to extend a decades-old state of emergency for a further two years, the official MENA news agency reported. "The People's Assembly has approved by a 308-member majority the presidential decree to extend the state of emergency for a period of two years," MENA said. A parliamentary source told AFP that 103 MPs had voted against the extension of the controversial emergency law, which MENA said is due to take effect on June 1 and run until May 31, 2012. The People's Assembly has 454 members. It was not immediately clear whether the remaining 43 lawmakers had not attended the session or abstained from voting. Egypt's emergency law, in place since 1981, gives police extended powers of arrest, suspends constitutional rights and curbs non-governmental political activity. Special courts set up under the law deny a right of appeal. It has repeatedly come under harsh criticism from rights groups and regime opponents. Earlier, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif had asked parliament to extend the law, but sought to reassure critics by pledging only to apply it to cases of terrorism and narcotics. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 I'm surprised we haven't heard of talk like this here. Anyone speaking out against the ONE could be tried in special courts without appeals process and the military could be brought in to quell 'dangerous' or 'seditious' protesters like the Tea Party. |
| Posted by: bigjim-CA 2010-05-12 17:55 |