Jspace News: Egypt Says It Has Killed 241 Jihadists Since Targeting ISIS

Egypt has been fighting a jihadist insurgency in Sinai since the army, then led by Sisi, overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

The syndicate’s board said in a statement issued after the meeting it would contact with other syndicates, political parties and civil society organisations to agree on a unified stance to “face the articles which restrict press freedoms” in the draft.

Barakat’s killing in a vehicle bombing was followed by large-scale attacks on soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula, prompting the cabinet to rush through the law over the objections of rights groups.

The law came partly in response to coverage of militant assaults on soldiers in the Sinai on July 1.

The Egyptian military now claims to have killed more than 250 terrorists from Islamic State and to have captured 60 of its people during ongoing clashes in the Sinai peninsula which began on the first of July.

“Your country is facing real security threats in its cities and in the Sinai, and at such a time, it is of critical importance that journalists are able to report freely without fear of imprisonment”, Thursday’s letter says.

A judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the reviewed version took into account the Supreme Court’s concerns.

Government officials say the wording of the provision requires proof of “intent” and “malice” when reporting figures that contradict official statements.

The military said 21 soldiers were killed in the attack, after foreign and local media reported much higher figures given by security sources.

Legal expert and lawyer Shaaban Said said police officers were already protected from prosecution over acts of violence committed in self-defence.

CAIRO – A host of human rights groups have denounced a draft anti-terrorism law brought forward by the Egyptian government, warning that the proposed legislation imposes an “undeclared state of emergency” in the country.

Egypt’s upcoming parliament elections are the third and final step in a roadmap announced by el-Sissi in 2013, when he ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi amid massive protests against Morsi’s yearlong rule.

At the prosecutor general’s funeral, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowed to amend laws, saying the hand of “prompt justice” is “tied” with laws, but “we will work on amending the law to achieve justice”.

The draft anti-terrorism law approved by Egypt’s cabinet last week includes “dangerous articles” which threaten media and press freedoms, the press syndicate said on Monday.

“In the 90s, while one can argue the insurgents had links to other groups internationally, it was certainly not as close as what we see today with Ansar Beit al-Maqdis in the Sinai”, said H.

The draft law would reduce the number of appeals allowed to defendants, and set up special terrorism courts to expedite their trials.