Egypt’s President has approved a far-reaching anti-terrorism law that establishes stiffer prison sentences for terror-related offences, heavy fines for journalists who publish “false news” and a special judicial circuit for terrorism cases.
Authorities claim the measures will halt attacks by Islamist militants and stop the spread of their ideology, but the new restrictions have prompted concern from rights groups and even some Egyptian politicians and senior judges.
The 54-article bill, signed into law on Sunday night by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, offers an extremely broad definition of terrorism, describing it in one article as any act that disturbs public order with force. Some charges, such as leading or organising a terrorist group, carry the death penalty.
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The law also prescribes heavy prison sentences for a range of crimes, including promoting or encouraging any “terrorist offense,” as well as damaging state institutions or infrastructure, such as military or government buildings, courthouses, power and gas lines, and archaeological sites.
Egyptians lived under so-called “emergency laws” for decades that gave police sweeping powers, encouraging a culture of excess and brutality among security forces, something that partially inspired the 2011 uprising against long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The law was suspended after his overthrow.
Rights activists say the new anti-terrorism law is even more draconian than the emergency laws, and note that police under Sisi have already begun to act with the impunity of the Mubarak days, torturing detainees and denying them basic medical services in overcrowded prisons and police holding cells.
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The government denies these charges and insists that offenders do not go unpunished, but policemen rarely face prosecution, and even fewer serve time.