Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has reneged on his promise to lift the nation’s emergency law this year and has, instead, extended it for two more years or until new legislation replaces it. The law, which has been in place since 1981, has earned Egypt widespread condemnation from international human rights groups and criticism from the American government. It allows warrant-less searches and arrests without charges. A new counter-terrorism bill was supposed to have replaced the 1981 sanctions by now, but appears to have been delayed. Reports from Egypt, however, indicate the new legislation will offer no improvement over the current situation, retaining the most controversial aspects that rights groups call “abusive.”