Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has approved stringent new counter-terrorism laws to fight a growing Islamist insurgency.
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It also shields those applying it, such as the military and police, from legal ramifications for the proportionate use of force “in performing their duties”.
CAIRO – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ratified on Sunday an antiterrorism law that stipulates exorbitant fines, and possible suspension from employment, for “false” reporting on militant attacks.
Membership in such a group will carry up to 10 years in jail.
Reports show that rights groups have warned that the legislation could be used to crush dissent, lock up opponents and impose further restrictions on freedom of expression.
The law retains a much criticized clause which criminalizes the publication of statements or news contradicting official statements about terrorist attacks.
Financing “terrorist groups” will also carry a life sentence, which is 25 years in Egypt. The original draft of the law was amended following domestic and global outcry after it initially called for imprisonment for such an offence.
The move follows an increase in attacks against the country’s security forces.
Authorities claim the measures will halt attacks by Islamic militants and stop the spread of their ideology, but the new restrictions have prompted concern from rights groups and even some politicians and senior judges. Sisi has meanwhile overseen a crackdown on Islamists, jailing thousands of alleged Islamist supporters and sentencing scores to death, including Morsi himself.
The insurgency, which has killed hundreds of soldiers and police, has intensified since mid-2013 when then-army chief Sisi ousted President Mohamed Mursi, a top figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, after mass unrest against his rule. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.
Mediators say President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and his political rival are expected to sign a peace agreement in Ethiopia on Monday.
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Amnesty notes that the laws define “terrorist act” very broadly, to include “disturbing public order and social peace”, “harming national unity and national economy”, and “impeding the application of the provisions of the constitution and national laws”.
