Egypt poised to approve changes to citizenship law

Amendments to Egypt’s citizenship law could be approved amid fears they would be used to repress the regime’s opposition.
An Egyptian man shows his passport after voting in a referendum on his country's new constitution at the Egyptian embassy in Amman January 9, 2014. Egyptians living outside the country on Wednesday began voting in a referendum on the new constitution. The referendum marks the first time Egyptians have voted since the removal of President Mohamed Mursi in July, and is seen as much as a public vote of confidence on the roadmap and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the constitution itself. REUTERS/Majed Jaber
An Egyptian man shows his passport after voting in a referendum on his country's new constitution at the Egyptian Embassy in Amman, Jan. 9, 2014. - REUTERS/Majed Jaber
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Khalid Hassan
@khalidfoaud

CAIRO — Parliament is set to consider amendments to Egypt's citizenship law. The country's administrative courts approved the amendments Dec. 18, and parliament is expected to vote on them.

Opponents say the amendments, which involve the revocation of citizenship, can be interpreted so broadly as to include peaceful protests, free speech and activism, and they could be used to harass and restrict journalists.

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