Amnesty International warns France state of emergency extension may lead to more abuses

Amnesty International warns France's state emergency impedes civil liberties as France seeks to extend it by three more months. Various human rights groups have alleged that police and other officials have abused their powers during this period and an extension will only make the situation worse.

State of emergency measure was originally put in place after the terror attacks in Paris, in which 130 people were killed on November 13 last year. It was supposed to last 12 days. However, it was later extended to February 26. Now, lawmakers endeavour to further stretch it to May.

French President Francois Hollande alluding to imminent terrorist threat stresses the importance of extending the state of emergency. At the same time, in Amnesty International report, it is stated that the emergency counter-terrorism measures which were implemented "trampled on the rights of hundreds of men, women and children".

This exceptionnal measure included banning public assemblies and gives French authorities power to search houses, buildings, and mosques without judicial authorisation. As a result, this has led in some cases to harassment of numerous people, most of them were Muslims, the report claimed.

"They broke the doors, came into the mosque with their shoes on and threw the Quran onto the floor,' a member of the association of the mosque La Fraternité (The Brotherhood) in Aubervilliers told Amnesty International." Another target of a surprise raid reiterated how the police barged into her house and led to her father falling sick.

"My father has heart problems. Police forced the entrance door open, they did not ring the bell, they burst into the flat, started screaming and handcuffed both my father and my sister. My father felt unwell and after a few minutes fainted. They had to call an ambulance," said Nadia, whose 80-year-old father's house in the Strasbourg region, was searched in November 2015.

The United Nations and the Council of Europe have expressed their disapproval of the proposed extension and on Saturday, 30 January, nearly 70 non-governmental organisations came together to demand and end to the measures.