The Egyptian Parliament Tuesday evening approved to extend the Emergency Law by two more years despite stiff opposition from opposition. The 454-strong Parliament approved the controversial law with the majority of 308. In requesting the extension, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said that the enforcement of the Emergency Law, which has been in effect since 1981, will be limited to combatting terrorism and drug trafficking. "The Emergency Law will not be used to undermine freedoms or infringe upon rights if these two threats are not involved," added Nazif in an address on Tuesday. The latest extension will run until May 2012 when an anti-terror act replaces the Emergency Law, says the Egyptian government. The law has been in place continuously since 1967 apart from 18 months between 1980 and 1981, which means the country has been living under the emergency law for a very, very long time." Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said on Tuesday that the proposed changes to the law would prohibit using it to censor newspapers and other publications.
Earlier in the day, around 100 MPs from the opposition, joined by political activists, demonstrated outside the Egyptian Parliament against the extension of the Emergency Law. Opposition and human rights groups say the law has been used to crack down on political dissent. Egypt will elect a new parliament next November, and vote in presidential elections next year.
