In a move that is drawing criticism from human-rights organizations and the Egyptian opposition, the Egyptian parliament approved the extension of the country’s controversial emergency law by two years on Monday.
The law will be extended by two years as of June 1 unless an anti-terrorism law is drafted to replace it, whichever comes first, the MENA news agency reported.
The vote was passed in the Egyptian parliament, which is dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party, with 305 MPs voting in favor and 103 against it.
The emergency law has been in effect since 1981 and was supposed to expire at the end of the month.
The law allows the police to hold detainees for long periods and enables the authorities to refer civilians to military courts, where they have fewer rights.
Rights organizations have criticized this law, claiming it is used as a tool to stifle political opponents.
The law was supposed to be replaced by an anti-terrorism law, which would grant similar powers, but lawmakers have failed to prepare this law on time. Critics say the new anti-terrorism law would have a similar effect to the emergency law.
The Egyptian government insists the emergency law would be implemented for the sole purpose of fighting terrorism, and rejects claims of critics that it is a tool to silence opposition.
Dozens of Egyptians and foreigners have been killed in terror attacks against Egyptian tourism resorts over the past few years. But human-rights organizations say more draconian laws will not help.
“Egypt has been under a state of emergency since 1981 and it hasn’t helped the government in its legitimate fight against terrorism,” said Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
“We believe the government has the right and even the duty to respond to the threat of terrorism, but we think it should do this with respect for human rights and not at the expense of human rights and personal freedoms,” he told The Media Line.
Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak promised to scrap the emergency law in the 2005 presidential elections.
“It’s yet another presidential promise that was given so much visibility during the presidential campaign in 2005 and almost three years later remains unfulfilled,” Bahgat said.
The extension of the emergency law is likely to anger Washington, which has recently been critical of Cairo’s human rights record.
In his recent visit to Egypt for the World Economic Forum, U.S. President George W. Bush said economic growth in the region should go hand in hand with political reform.
“America is deeply concerned about the plight of political prisoners in this region, as well as democratic activists who are intimidated or repressed, newspapers and civil society organization that are shut down and dissidents whose voices are stifled,” Bush said in comments that were in part a criticism of Egypt.
Hundreds of members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood opposition movement have been arrested since the beginning of the year in what is seen as an effort of the major party to stifle the opposition and curb its political gains.
The White House was outspoken against the arrests ahead of the local elections at the beginning of April, and said Egyptians should be allowed to choose freely among competing candidates.
There are moves in the U.S. Congress to condition the considerable financial aid Egypt receives from the U.S. on Cairo’s improvement of its human rights record and progress on reform.
Egypt receives some $1.4 billion in aid from Washington every year.