Egypt has been under a state of emergency since April 2017 when twin church bombings claimed by an Islamic State group affiliate killed dozens of people. They allow the president to close schools, suspend public sector work, ban public and private gatherings and quarantine inbound travellers. “President al-Sisi’s government is using the pandemic to expand, not reform, Egypt’s abusive Emergency Law,” said Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director. Stork said that while some of these measures could be needed in public health emergencies, “they should not be open to abuse as part of an unreformed emergency law”. “Resorting to ‘national security and public order’ as a justification reflects the security mentality that governs Sisi’s Egypt,” he added.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 08, 2020 18:00 UTC