Prime Minister of France says his government is seeking to extend a state of emergency until mid-July of 2017.
Bernard Cazeneuve made his announcement today, saying that the extension was necessary due to next year’s presidential and legislative elections.
The state of emergency was declared across France after the deadly 2015 Paris attacks.
Initially imposed in November last year, the state of emergency has already been extended four times as the French government considers the risk of terror attacks to remain high.
The emergency rule was adopted after the terror attacks in and around Paris on November 15, 2015. The assaults, which were claimed by the Daesh Takfiri group, left 130 people dead and 350 more injured.
The current emergency rule is set to expire in mid-January.
The French National Assembly and the Senate will debate the proposed extension on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
The emergency measures give authorities extra powers to place people under house arrest and carry out searches.
However, human rights groups have criticized the measures as a violation of civil rights and fundamental freedoms.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- Initially imposed in November last year, the state of emergency has already been extended four times as the French government considers the risk of terror attacks to remain high.
- The emergency rule was adopted after the terror attacks in and around Paris on November 15, 2015.
- The French National Assembly and the Senate will debate the proposed extension on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
