President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday, Egypt's state of emergency will be lifted
for the first time in years.
Egypt
imposed a state of emergency in April 2017 after deadly bombings of churches
and has since routinely extended it at three-month intervals, despite an
improved security situation.
"Egypt
has become ... an oasis of security and stability in the region," Sisi
wrote in a Facebook post. "Hence it was decided, for the first time in
years, to cancel the extension of the state of emergency in all areas of the
country."
The
state of emergency granted authorities sweeping powers to make arrests and
crack down on what they call enemies of the state.
It
was applied during the extension of a clamp-down on political dissent under Al Sisi
that has swept up liberal as well as Islamist critics over the past few years.
Egypt's
security forces have also been battling an insurgency by militants linked to
Islamic State in northern Sinai, although they have recently consolidated their
position in the area.
Prominent
Egyptian activist Hossam Bahgat welcomed the decision, saying it would stop the
use of emergency state security courts, although it would not apply to some
high-profile cases already referred to such courts.
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