Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi extended the state of emergency nationwide by three months on Thursday upon the approval of House of Representatives following the announcement of the results of the constitutional referendum on Tuesday, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) said.
MENA added that the state of emergency will commence April 25 and last until July 24.
The emergency law allows the military and security apparatuses to take measures to combat terrorism.
Sisi first imposed the state of emergency in the aftermath of twin blasts at two churches in the north of Egypt in April 2017, killing 47 people and leaving 120 wounded.
Egypt’s government says it is committed to the use of exceptional measures to the extent that they ensure a balance between the protection of public freedoms and the requirements of national security.
Under the state of emergency, the president has the right to restrict freedoms of assembly, movement, and residency and the right to monitor messages of any kind (such as through newspapers, leaflets and other publications) as well as all means of advertising before their publication, as well as to confiscate them, close places where they are printed, set the dates for the opening and closing of public shops, and evacuate or isolate areas.
