Emergency Law Extended For 2 More Years

The Egyptian Parliament has approved for two more years the state of emergency that has existed since the assassination of President Anwar el-Sadat in 1981, the New York Times reports.

This authorizes the government to continue to arrest people without charge, detain prisoners indefinitely, limit freedom of expression and assembly, and maintain a special security court.

Cairo said the emergency law would only be used in cases of terrorism and drug-trafficking.