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Rattled by attacks on its soldiers and the assassination of the top prosecutor, Egypt is set to pass sweeping legislation critics say grants police impunity, censors media and further restricts freedoms.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to approve the law this week, after pledging tough measures against militants who have bedevilled the country since the army’s ouster of his Islamist predecessor Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
The former army chief has led an extensive crackdown on the Islamist opposition and militants, vowing to eradicate Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement and jihadists.
But one year into Sisi’s rule, his government was stunned by the assassination of state prosecutor Hisham Barakat on June 29.
Barakat’s killing in a car 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.
