By Reuters –
It details sentences for various terrorism-related crimes ranging from five years to the death penalty, and shields the military and police from legal penalties for what it calls proportionate use of force.
The law also fines journalists for contradicting the authorities’ version of any militant attack. The original draft was amended last year following a domestic and international outcry after it initially stipulated imprisonment for such an offence.
The newly elected legislature is constitutionally obliged to review the executive decrees within 15 days of its first session, which was on January 10, and either approve or reject them.
The anti-terrorism law passed by an overwhelming 457 votes to 24 without a single amendment to the original decree issued by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last year, parliamentary sources said.
Egypt’s new Parliament, which has 568 elected members plus another 28 appointed directly by the president, is dominated by the “Support Egypt” coalition, an alliance of over 400 MPs loyal to Sisi.
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Parliament also approved a 2014 decree on the protection of critical government facilities. The law increases the jurisdiction of military courts, allowing them to try civilians accused of attacking buildings and cutting off roads.
Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, is confronted by an increasingly violent insurgency in North Sinai, where the most active militant group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State. Cairo and other cities have also suffered Islamist attacks.
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http://www.egyptindependent.com//news/egypt-s-parliament-endorses-controversial-anti-terrorism-law
