France drafts extension to state of emergency
Less than a month after the Paris attacks, France has drawn up a draft law to extend state of emergency for up to six months from the current three-month limit.
The proposed change to France’s constitution says exceptional measures adopted during a state of emergency could be prolonged "for a maximum period of six months" after the expiry of the original state of emergency, according to the draft text seen by AFP on Thursday.
The duration of any state of emergency would still be fixed by law at the time of its introduction, the draft law read.
Meanwhile, unidentified French government sources said that senior parliamentary figures are set to examine the bill later Thursday, adding that the constitutional reforms will be put to ministers' vote on December 23.
France introduced a state of emergency following the recent horrendous attacks, claimed by the Takfiri Daesh group in the capital city of Paris. On November 13, assailants struck at least six different venues in and around Paris, leaving 130 people dead and over 350 others wounded.
On November 20, the French Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the extension of state of emergency for three months, empowering the police to keep people in their homes without trial, search houses without judicial approval and block suspicious websites.
The measures also banned public demonstrations and allowed authorities to dissolve groups inciting acts seriously affecting public order in the country.
However, the rules have drawn criticism from rights groups who accuse the French government of abuse of power.
John Dalhuisen, director of Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia program, said the measures “provide for a sweeping extension of executive powers at the expense of essential human rights safeguards.”
"They must be used only when strictly necessary and should not become a permanent addition to France’s anti-terror arsenal,” Dalhuisen added.
Since the state of emergency was declared in France, some 2,000 raids have taken place while 210 suspects have been taken in for questioning.
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