Jul 1, 2018

CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a decision June 24 to extend the state of emergency across the country for three additional months, as of 1 p.m. on July 14. Parliament approved the decision later the same day.

Sisi said in his decision, published in the official gazette, that extending the state of emergency stems from the critical security situation in the country. According to the decision, the armed forces and the police will take the necessary measures to face the risk of terrorism, protect citizens’ lives and imprison whoever violates the president’s decisions in compliance with the provisions of the 1958 State of Emergency Law No. 162.

This is the fifth time Sisi has extended the state of emergency since he announced it for the first time in April 2017 for three months. Sisi declared a state of emergency in the wake of two terrorist bombings targeting churches in Tanta and Alexandria, in northern Egypt, on April 9, 2017. The attacks killed 44 people and wounded 128 others. The state of emergency was extended for the first time July 4, 2017, then for the second time Oct. 12, 2017, then again for the third time Jan. 13 and for the fourth time April 14.

The 1958 State of Emergency Law No. 162 gives the president the power to restrict people’s freedom to convene and allows him to monitor emails, calls and newspapers, evacuate or isolate some regions, withdraw weapons or ammunition permits, and determine the opening and closing times of shops.

Experts who talked to Al-Monitor had conflicting opinions about the decision to extend the state of emergency. Some believe the country is still under a risk of terrorism, which necessitates an extension of the state of emergency, while others thought this was just a pretext to restrict citizens' freedom.