How a state of emergency became Egypt’s new normal
For the first time in six months, Egyptians lived for a few days outside of a state of emergency this month. And the country’s Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) ruled that ordinary courts — not military ones — have jurisdiction over cases involving alleged law violations in protests.
But what may have seemed to be victories for the people were actually triumphs for the security state. The steps were taken in a way that mocked the 2011 Arab uprisings’ demands and revealed how deeply authoritarian measures have been planted in the Egyptian legal order.
A return to an ongoing state of emergencyIn writing Egypt’s post-uprising constitutions, would-be reformers pressed hard to limit emergency rule, mindful of how it had been used to govern Egypt with few interruptions since it was declared at the beginning of World War II.… Seguir leyendo »