Moufeed Shehab, Minister of State for Parliamentary Councils and Legal Affairs, said the proposed terrorism act, intended as an alternative to the Emergency Law, remains under consideration.
Review of the act by parliament cannot be guaranteed, said Shehab, as “it’s still a premature issue.” The minister added that the act and its terms are still under scrutiny by security specialists. There are many points of view concerning the exceptional rights that could be granted to authorities, according to Shehab.
The Egyptian government decided in May to extend the Emergency Law for an additional two years. The law is said by rights groups to give enormous powers to security services, who commit violations with impunity.
The government announced in May that it will limit administrative detention under the Emergency Law to suspects involved in strictly terrorism or drugs offenses.
Emergency Law was imposed in 1981 following the assassination of former president Anwar Sadat.
