Egypt To Expand Law For Stripping Citizenships

Egypt’s Cabinet has proposed an
amendment to the law that regulates
conditions for the
withdrawal of citizenships to include
those convicted of crimes against the
state
security, according to a government
statement issued this week.

The proposed amendment will allow
citizens to be stripped of their citizenship
if they are a member of an illegal group
either in Egypt or abroad that is seen as
undermining the state’s political, social or
economic order.



The current law allows the withdrawal of
citizenship if acquired through fraudulent
means but the amendment will create
further ways for the government to
crackdown on
those they deem to be high-risk to the
country’s security.



The new amendment will need to be
approved by parliament and then the
president before it is canonised.




The law has enabled Egyptian authorities
to strip countless citizens of their
citizenship
since 2013 when democratically-elected
President Mohamed Morsi was ousted
from power in a military coup led by
current
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.



Since taking office, Al-Sisi has mounted a
crackdown on anyone he deems to be a
threat to his presidency and sworn in
laws that affects media organisations,
journalists
and NGO’s who often have their accounts
scrutinised for foreign funding.
Critics of the proposed amendments
believe they will be used to further attack
now
outlawed peaceful opposition groups
including the

Muslim Brotherhood

, of
which Morsi was a member, in an effort to
ensure
Al-Sisi’s survival as president.

Source:www.voplink.com