Egypt lifts state of emergency and night-time curfew

Egypt’s government has decided to lift the state of emergency and the night-time curfew.

The move came two days earlier than expected, after a court ruling.

The state of emergency and the night-time curfew were introduced on August 14 after security forces forcibly ended sit-ins in support of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

The measures had been due to last a month, but the government extended them for two more months on September 12.

The state of emergency and the curfew were lifted with effect from 16:00 local time.

This followed the ruling by the administrative court that said the decree extending the measures should only be effective for two calendar months.

The army-backed government said it would abide by the verdict.

The state of emergency and the 01:00-05:00 curfew had allowed the authorities to make arrests without warrants and search people’s homes.

Many people had also blamed the curfew for a fall in business in Cairo – at a time when the government was trying to create jobs and revive the economy.

The measures were introduced after hundreds of people died following the clearing of the pro-Morsi camps in the capital.

Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president, was ousted by the army in July following widespread demonstrations against his rule.

Egyptians lived under a state of emergency – which gives extra powers to the security services – for more than three decades, until President Hosni Mubarak was forced from power amid mass protests in 2011.