Egypt’s government has approved President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s proposal to extend a national state of emergency for an additional three months, the cabinet said in a statement today.
Parliament unanimously approved a three-month state of emergency in April, broadening the power of authorities to crack down on what it called enemies of the state after two church bombings killed at least 45.
Since toppling elected President Mohamed Morsi in mid-2013, general-turned-President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has overseen a crackdown on opposition in which hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters were killed and thousands jailed.
Egyptian rights activists say they face a campaign to erase the freedoms won in the 18-day revolt that began on 25 January 2011.
The crackdown has widened to include liberal and secular activists at the forefront of the 2011 revolt. Many are behind bars, charged with violating a 2013 law which prevents a repeat of the protests that helped unseat two presidents in three years.
Loud Whispers 
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