Egypt renews state of emergency for 10th time
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has extended a state of emergency in place since April 2017, which some say violates the constitution and is used by the regime to suppress the opposition.
CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared yet another three-month extension of Egypt's state of emergency on Oct. 26.
Though under the constitution, a state of emergency is not to not be extended more than once, the recent decision marks the 10th time that the state of emergency has been renewed since April 10, 2017, when Sisi first declared it a day after two terrorist attacks targeted churches in Alexandria and Tanta, leaving 44 people dead.
Ousted President Hosni Mubarak had also imposed a state of emergency during his 30-year rule after the assassination of former President Anwar Sadat in 1981. It was renewed every two years by presidential decree throughout his reign until the January 25 Revolution in 2011.
The Egyptian government has repeatedly stated that it is not using the state of emergency to restrict freedom of movement and conduct arbitrary searches.
