Democracy News
Controversial Egyptian ‘Emergency Law’ Receives Two Year Extension
May 13, 2010
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly
For almost three decades, opposition groups in Egypt have been impeded from demonstrating against President Hosni Mubarak and his ruling government by an ‘emergency law’ that was first enacted in 1981, following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. Under the emergency law, the Egyptian government can arrest any individual for an undisclosed amount of time – meaning that an individual could be detained for years without standing trial.
The Egyptian government claims the emergency law is in place to fight terrorism, but it has been repeatedly used to silence opposition voices. On May 11, nearly one year after U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech in Cairo about improving US and Muslim relations, the Egyptian government announced that it would be extending the controversial emergency law until 2012, despite the government’s promise to allow the law to expire.
On May 1, BBC News reported that a group of approximately 150 student protestors of the pro-reform youth April 6 movement held a rally to call for democratic reform. The protestors originally intended to march towards the country’s parliament, but were met by armed riot police and plainclothes security forces, and were subsequently beaten before the march even started. Journalists and photographers who were on the scene were also beaten, and cameras were confiscated.
This latest government crackdown has led some parliament members to heatedly debate Egypt’s stance on freedom of speech and human rights. According to parliament member Nashaat al-Qasas, opposition protestors should face harsher treatment for expressing dissent. Al-Qasas, a Mubarak loyalist, stated: “Instead of using water hoses to disperse them, the police ought to shoot them – they deserve it.” In constrast, Mohammad el-Omda, an Egyptian parliament member asserted that the emergency law had “enslaved” the nation, as quoted by Voice of America.
According to the New York Times, the Egyptian government claims that the law’s application will be reserved for incidences of terrorism and drug trafficking. In addition to the law’s extension, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif announced that the law would be more amenable to media freedom – inferring that previous censorship tactics, such as shutting down newspapers, would be curbed. Nevertheless, critics state that this perceived relaxation is a façade. Currently, the concept of terrorism is so widely interpreted that the Egyptian government could apply it to any form of dissent.
Executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights Hossam Bahgat stated that the emergency law still fails to hold the government accountable to the rule of law. Speaking about the emergency law, Bahgat said, “The culture of exceptionalism stays, and with it the message that security agencies are still above the law.” Similarly in Washington DC, Secretary Clinton called for the Egyptian government to adhere to legal principles and to “protect the rights of all citizens.”
According to Radwan Masmoudi, president of Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, US support for democracy is the key to improving US-Middle East relations. Masmoudi asserts that the US needs to change its policies in order to include the participation of civil society, as well as continue to engage with Middle Eastern governments. Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes, believes the US should relax its current views on nonviolent moderate Islamist parties in order to build trust in the region. Specifically in regard to Egypt, Voice of America states that the US must take a firmer stance on Egypt’s authoritarian policies in order to break the Mubarak regime’s stranglehold over both the country’s political arena and civil society. Although the spread of democracy in the Middle East has been slow, the Obama administration continues to support many undemocratic regimes in the Middle East. The article suggests that the US’ backing of Muslim countries is a tactic to shape, and monitor, the growth of Islamic democracy.
In addition, the Associated Press reports that constitutional amendments from 2007 are expected to impact both the 2010 parliamentary election and the 2011 presidential election. The constitutional amendments prohibit many political opposition candidates from running for office. Opposition parties expect to see a decline in parliamentary representation later this year.
For previous news on Egypt, please see:
Egyptian Pro-Democracy Activists Beaten At Rally; ElBaradei Criticizes Government
U.S. Aid Cut to Egypt’s Civil Society
Sources:
BBC News - Mohamed ElBaradei could spark political upheaval in Egypt
Associated Press - Egyptian police beat anti-government protesters
US Department of State: Secretary Clinton’s Remark’s – Egypt’s Renewal of State of Emergency
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