Egypt’s Parliament Approves Three-Month State of Emergency

Egypt’s Parliament Approves Three-Month State of Emergency
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
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CAIRO—Egypt’s parliament on Tuesday unanimously approved a three-month state of emergency, broadening the power of authorities to crack down on what it called enemies of the state days after two church bombings killed at least 45.

Two suicide bombings claimed by the ISIS terrorist group at churches in Alexandria and Tanta plunged the nation into mourning and sent shockwaves through a Coptic Christian community that has increasingly been targeted by militants.

The countrywide state of emergency was declared by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday after the attacks but required parliamentary approval according to the constitution.

The end of emergency law was a key demand during the 2011 uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, who had imposed a 30-year state of emergency to crush opposition. The law was lifted after Mubarak stepped down but re-imposed temporarily in the years that followed.

The aftermath of an explosion that took place at a Coptic church on Sunday in Tanta, Egypt on April 9, 2017. (REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)
The aftermath of an explosion that took place at a Coptic church on Sunday in Tanta, Egypt on April 9, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany