Egypt adopts new anti-terrorism law

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday officially signed into law sweeping new “anti-terrorism” legislation that dramatically expands his powers to impose the death penalty, crack down on dissent, and stamp out journalism that the government deems to be “false”.

Financing “terrorist groups” brings a life sentence, which in Egypt means 25 years.

The law also sets heavy fines for publishing “false news or statements” about terrorist acts, or news contradicting the Defense Ministry’s reports. The original draft of the law was amended following domestic and worldwide outcry after it initially called for imprisonment.

And Amnesty global says the laws do all of that by extending state-of-emergency measures to concentrate power in the executive branch.

Jamal Eid, a human rights activist and the director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, said the laws had ushered in a “republic of darkness” in Egypt. The legislation equates terrorism and “any criticism or dissenting voices, or acts that are not to the state’s liking”, he tweeted.

His instructions came after the state’s top prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, was assassinated in a vehicle bombing in late June. In the absence of a functioning parliament, Sisi now holds legislative authority.

The ratified law, however, added another clause allowing courts to “prevent the convicted from practising the profession for a period of no more than one year, if the crime violates the principles of the profession”. The law clearly defines the concept of terrorism, terrorist crimes, terrorist groups and criminals, and contains a precise list of penalties for offenses related to terrorism.

The al-Sisi government argues they are necessary to deal with not only a two-year insurgency from deposed Muslim Brotherhood forces, but also new threats from the Islamic State, which has been muscling into the North Sinai region.

However, Nabil Salem, a professor of law, said the new law will help achieve swift justice in Egypt. Cairo and other cities have also seen subject to increased violent attacks.

Dalia Fahmy, an assistant professor at Long Island University and a member of the Egyptian Rule of Law Association, told Al Jazeera that under the new law any media “that defies the national narrative, will be fined”.

Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi has been sentenced to death by an Egyptian court.

Under the laws introduced on Monday, trials for suspected militants will be fast-tracked through special courts. Sisi has meanwhile overseen a crackdown on Islamists, jailing thousands of alleged Islamist supporters and sentencing scores to death, including Morsi himself.