President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi announced on Monday that Egypt will lift a nationwide state of emergency after more than four years. The renewal of the state of emergency was cancelled after el-Sissi called Egypt “an oasis of security and stability.” The state was imposed in April 2017 after two bombings in Coptic churches that killed dozens of people. The attacks were claimed by a part of the group called Islamic State (IS).
The state of emergency was in place for three months after the bombings, but has remained in place after renewal ever since. Egypt was struggling with a wave of violence due to IS militants, but the emergency state gave the authorities large powers. The constitutional rights of freedom of speech and public gatherings were restricted in the state of emergency. The state of emergency was amended in May 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and gave the president and military larger power and jurisdiction. Human rights representatives considered the states of emergency to be used to crush dissent and control the citizens of Egypt. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have been monitoring the situation in Egypt under the state of emergency and has reported concerns about the human rights of citizens.
Read more: Egypt’s el-Sissi ends state of emergency 4 years after terror attack
