Egyptian Cabinet expands grounds for withdrawing citizenship

CAIRO – Egypt’s Cabinet has proposed an amendment to the law regulating conditions for the withdrawal of acquired citizenship to include those convicted of crimes related to harming state security.

According to a government statement, Wednesday’s proposed amendment says grounds for stripping citizenship would also include members of any group or entity, based at home or abroad, that is seen to be illegally working to undermine the state’s political, social or economic order.

The existing law provides for the withdrawal of citizenship if it is acquired through fraudulent means.

The new amendment needs to be approved by parliament and later ratified by the president before it comes into force.

Authorities have already stripped citizenship from scores of people who acquired it during the one-year rule of an Islamist president ousted in 2013.