SOLUSI

Emergency law enforcement: Extended police powers

Egyptian fight for their rights! They want their voices to be heard!

Emergency law (Law of 162 0f 1958) was enacted after 1967 Six-Day War. This law stated that police powers are extended, constitutional rights suspended, censorship is permitted and government has rights to imprison individuals without reason. Under this law, any non-government political activity is limited which includes street demonstrations, non-approved political organizations, and unregistered financial donations. Because of the threat of terrorism towards the government,  Mubarak’s government decided to apply this law onto opposition groups like Ikhwanul Muslimin.

                Police powers are extended doesn’t mean that they are good in doing their jobs. Mubarak regime has denied there is existence of torture or abuse carried out by the police. However, many claim that there are cases of police abuse based on evidence through cellphone video.The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights reported and documented 567 cases of torture, including 167 deaths, by police that occurred between 1993 and 2007. Excessive force was often used by law enforcement agencies. The police forces constantly flattened democratic uprisings with brutal force and corrupt tactics. A rally is set up in 2010 in Alexandria against the police because they are allegedly abusing Khaled Mohamed Saeed. Many witnesses that he was beaten to death and died under disputed circumstances.

 During the January — February 2011 protests, police brutality was high in response to the protests. Jack Shenker, a reporter for The Guardian, was arrested during the mass protests in Cairo on 26 January 2011 and he witnessed fellow Egyptian protesters being tortured, assaulted, and taken to undisclosed locations by police officers.