Egypt's Sisi issues decree widening scope of security crackdown
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has signed off on an anti-terrorism law that gives authorities more sweeping powers to ban groups on charges ranging from harming national unity to disrupting public order.
The move, announced in the official Gazette on Tuesday, is likely to increase concern among rights groups over the government clawing back freedoms gained after the 2011 uprising that ended a three-decade autocracy under Hosni Mubarak.
Authorities have cracked down hard on the Islamist, secular and liberal opposition alike since then army chief Sisi toppled elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in 2013 after mass protests against his rule.
According to the Gazette, the law enables authorities to act against any individual or group deemed a threat to national security, including people who disrupt public transportation, an apparent reference to protests.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/24/us-egypt-security-idUSKBN0LS0RA20150224
BY MICHAEL GEORGY AND MAHMOUD MOURAD
CAIRO Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:40am EST
