CAIRO — Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Saturday approved amendments to the country’s state of emergency that grant him and security agencies additional powers, which the government says are needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak. But they also include expanded powers to ban public and private meetings, protests, celebrations and other forms of assembly. The amendments also allow military prosecutors to investigate incidents when army officers are tasked with law enforcement or when the president orders it. The law was originally passed to give the president broader powers to combat terrorism and drug trafficking. The government said the amendments were needed to address a legal “vacuum” revealed by the coronavirus outbreak.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 09, 2020 07:41 UTC