Egypt Steps Up Security Ahead of ‘January Revolution’ Anniversary

Arab World

January 25th, 12:15pm

Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat

Protesters celebrate in Tahrir Square after the announcement of Mubarak's resignation (file photo: Reuters)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi extended the nationwide state of emergency for three more months starting Sunday. The security services increased their measures ahead of the tenth anniversary of the “January 25 Revolution” and the 69th anniversary of the National Police Day. The parliament approved on Thursday a presidential decree extending the state of emergency. According to the decree, the armed forces and the police will take the necessary measures to fight terrorism and its financing, maintain security nationwide, protect public and private properties, and preserve the lives of citizens. Egypt has been under a nationwide state of emergency since April 2017 when twin church bombings in Alexandria killed dozens of people. Since then, exceptional measures scheduled for three months have been announced, then extended with short intervals in between to avoid violating the constitution, which requires a popular referendum if the state of emergency exceeds six consecutive months.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2763871/egypt-steps-security-ahead-%E2%80%98january-revolution%E2%80%99-anniversary