Could Egypt turn into police state with new law proposal?
In a move described by human rights activists as further restriction on people’s freedom, the Egyptian government agreed to a proposal to force landlords to report their tenants' information to the police.
CAIRO — The Egyptian government agreed Feb. 27 to a proposal introducing new legal amendments to Anti-Terrorism Law No. 94 of 2015, forcing landlords to inform the police of any new lease contracts, as part of the government’s effort to combat terrorism.
Landlords who do not provide information of their tenants — whether Egyptians or foreigners — are subject to penalties, ranging from a fine to time in prison.
The proposal has raised concerns in terms of human rights and whether or not these new amendments will be used to further clamp down on people under the state emergency that has been imposed on the country for nearly two years.
The amendments were made in response to security and parliamentary demands for tighter control of rented apartments in Cairo, following the Feb. 18 terrorist attack in an area near Al-Azhar Mosque, which killed three policemen, including a national security lieutenant, and wounded six others.
