Egypt president approves sweeping anti-terrorism law

1	FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2015 file photo, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi waves as he arrives to the opening ceremony of the new section of the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt.
2	A new 54-article anti-terrorism bill signed into law by el-Sissi was announced on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, establishing stiffer prison sentences for offences deemed to be terrorism-related, heavy fines for journalists who publish "false news" and a special judicial circuit for terrorism-related cases.
3	Egypt has not had a parliament for over two years, and legislative authority rests with el-Sissi.
4	CAIRO (AP) - In a significant leap toward harsher authoritarian rule, Egypt has enacted a draconian new anti-terrorism law that sets a sweeping definition for who and what could face a harsh set of punishments, including journalists who don't toe the government line.
5	The far-reaching new law adds provisions to protect security forces from prosecution, establishes stiffer prison sentences for terror-related offences, as well as heavy fines for those who publish "false news" and a special judicial circuit for terrorism cases.
6	Authorities claim the measures will halt attacks by Islamic militants and stop the spread of their ideology, but the new restrictions have prompted concern from lawyers, rights groups, the opposition and even some Egyptian politicians and senior judges.
7	The 54-article bill, signed into law late Sunday by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and announced Monday, establishes an extremely broad definition of terrorism, describing it in one article as any act that disturbs public order with force.
8	Some charges, such as leading or organizing a terrorist group, carry the death penalty.
9	The law also prescribes heavy prison sentences for a range of crimes, including promoting or encouraging any "terrorist offense," as well as damaging state institutions or infrastructure, such as military or government buildings, courthouses, power and gas lines, and archaeological sites.
10	Egyptians lived under so-called "emergency laws" for decades that gave police extensive powers, encouraging a culture of excess and brutality among security forces, something that partially inspired the 2011 uprising against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
11	The law was suspended after his overthrow.
12	Constitutional law expert Nour Farahat, who helped set up guidelines for the first post-Mubarak constitutional amendments, said the government had ignored all advice concerning the new law's constitutional flaws.
13	"This is because the Interior Ministry wants that, and the Interior Ministry is now ruling Egypt," he wrote on his official Facebook page.
14	"Emergency laws were in place in Egypt during Mubarak times for 30 years. Did it eradicate terrorism? I fear for a nation where truth is lost."
15	Rights activists say the new anti-terrorism law is even more draconian than the earlier emergency laws and that police under el-Sissi have already begun to act with the impunity of the Mubarak days, torturing detainees and denying them basic medical services in overcrowded prisons and police holding cells.
16	The government denies the allegations, insisting that offenders do not go unpunished, though policemen rarely face prosecution and even fewer serve time.
17	Mohammed Zaree, Egypt program manager at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, said the government has already been acting without restraint in its crackdown on dissent.
18	He described the new law as "a covert emergency law."
19	"Now they can go after anyone. The law will have an effect on the public sphere and peaceful opposition activities more than terrorists and violent groups, who don't care anyway and disregard the laws," he said.
20	El-Sissi has led a harsh crackdown on Islamists and other opponents since 2013, when he led the military overthrow of Islamist Mohammed Morsi, the country's first freely elected president, during mass protests against his rule.
21	Following Morsi's ouster, a long-running insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula surged, with stepped-up attacks targeting the military there and on the mainland, while an affiliate of the Islamic State group established an Egypt branch.
22	The April 6 group, a leading force behind the 2011 uprising against Mubarak that was outlawed last year over accusations of tainting the state's image and espionage, blasted the new law on its Twitter account, saying it "legalizes the dictatorship of the ruling regime and obscures the truth."