New York Times
With Washington’s Complicity, Egypt Cracks Down on Critics
Editorial Board
July 16, 2015
For decades, Egypt’s authoritarian leaders used the Emergency Law to
oppress and intimidate government critics under the guise of national
security. In coming weeks, officials are expected to pass a new,
similarly repressive law that would give authorities even more sweeping
powers to continue cracking down on government critics and censor the
press.
Passing the so-called counter-terrorism law, which has been in the works for several months, has become a priority for the government after recent high-profile attacks by militants in Cairo and the Sinai Peninsula.
While
Egyptians are understandably unnerved by the growing violence, the new
power sought by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi should be subject to
greater scrutiny. Egypt is already a police state.
Recent drafts of the
counter-terrorism law and other steps the government has taken stand to
make it even more repressive. That should be of deep concern to
Egyptians and the country’s allies, including the United States, because
such tactics will likely embolden extremist groups if disaffected
Egyptians are allowed no avenues to express their grievances.
Under
the bill, people could become the subject of terrorism investigations
if the government merely asserts that they “disturb public order and
social peace,” harm “national unity” and hurt the country’s economy. And
the bill would establish special courts for terrorism suspects that
would deliver swift verdicts and expands the list of offenses that would
be punishable by death.
Such tribunals would only worsen a pattern of hasty trials for Islamists,
many of whom have been sentenced to death in mass proceedings. Former
President Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted in a 2013 coup, is among those
who has been sentenced to death on dubious evidence.
Egypt is currently detaining at least 18 journalists for reporting information government officials deemed inaccurate, according to Amnesty International.
The new law would create even greater press restrictions. For instance,
journalists would be allowed only to report statistics and details
about terrorist attacks from official sources.
In
recent weeks, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has begun issuing new
guidelines to muffle even international journalists. Officials recently handed out a list
of terms reporters should not use in describing terrorist
organizations, including Islamists, fundamentalists, jihadists and the
Islamic State. Instead, journalists are to describe them as “savages,
slayers, destroyers and eradicators.”
Disappointingly,
but not surprisingly, American officials have not publicly expressed
concern about the counter-terrorism law. The State Department, in a
statement to The Times, would only say the United States supports
Egypt’s “fight against terrorism, but we hope that the final version of
this law will support the protection of individual rights for
Egyptians.”
That’s
laughable. Obama administration officials and congressional lawmakers
have been all too willing to overlook the abuses because they see Egypt
as an indispensable ally in a volatile region. In recent weeks, House
and Senate members passed versions of the foreign aid bill that fail to
make the annual $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt contingent on it
taking steps to protect human rights and govern democratically.
In
past years, Congress sought to discourage growing authoritarianism by
requiring the State Department to certify that Egypt was meeting those
criteria. Now, it is merely asking that Cairo adhere to the 1979 peace
treaty with Israel and remain an American ally. By giving up on
worthwhile goals, lawmakers have become complicit in Egypt’s repression.
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