Law extended, gives Egypt’s military authority to secure public facilities for 5 years

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced a five-year extension of a law introduced in 2014 assigning Egypt's military to secure “public and vital buildings,” local media reported.

The extension was proposed by head of the parliamentary Defense and National Security Committee, Kamal Amer, and was approved through a general vote in parliament last week.

The proposed extension was initially for two years, but was extended to five by the committee, starting in October 28, 2016.

The law, which was first decreed in October 2014 by Sisi, assigned the military the responsibility to protect all public buildings and facilities for two years, placing jurisdiction for any attacks on such facilities during this period with military courts.

The facilities included in the law are electricity towers, railroads, roads, bridges, gas lines, fuel mines and “other public possessions, facilities and buildings and their equivalents.”

The law was heavily criticized by rights activists, who feared the expansion of the jurisdiction of military courts, in which the rights of defendants are severely diminished.

Article 204 of Egypt’s Constitution stipulates that civilians should not stand trial before military courts except for crimes that constitute a direct assault on military institutions, military camps, military or border zones, military equipment, vehicles, weapons, ammunition, documents, military secrets, public finances, military factories, crimes related to mandatory military service, or anything that constitutes a direct assault on military personnel as a result of their duties.

The No To Military Trials Campaign stated that by March 2015, 3000 civilians had been tried in military courts during Sisi’s first five months as President, a dramatic increase from previous years and presidencies.