France to end state of emergency
July 15, 2016
French President Francois Hollande on Thursday said France's state of emergency would not be extended beyond July 26.
Hollande declared the security measure the evening of November 13, when "Islamic State"-affiliated militants launched several attacks across the capital Paris, leaving 130 people dead.
"We can't extend the state of emergency indefinitely, it would make no sense. That would mean we're no longer a republic with the rule of law applied in all circumstances," he told journalists in a traditional interview on Bastille Day.
He added that a new law adopted in May has allowed France to bolster its security in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
The new law "will give us the tools which, while not comparable with the state of emergency, give us the means to keep tabs on certain individuals administratively," the president noted.
France's state of emergency was extended several times after with parliamentary approval. The last time carried the security measure until July 26 to cover the Euro 2016 football championship and the Tour de France bicycling competition.
Prior to the November attacks, militants in January launched an assault on the offices of French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket, leaving at least 12 people dead.
lw/bw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)