Iraqi and Arab Press Critical of Emergency Laws
The BBC surveys reaction in the Iraqi and Arab press to the announcement of emergency laws by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi that could gut civil liberties in Iraq.
Typical excerpts:
The government has no option other than to declare a state of emergency through the national security law. Terrorists have gone too far. They revel in slaughtering Iraqis and destroying their infrastructure. No Iraqi has been safe from their evil. This law is the last resort.Iraq’s al-Adalah
People view with suspicion any new emergency laws, fearful they could continue indefinitely. Despite their support for the new measures taken to curb violence and organised crime, they still expect the new government to show commitment to applying the minimum provisions of the emergency law, without increasing restrictions on people’s freedoms.
Iraq’s al-Bayan