French plan to prolong state of emergency over terror threat

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls speaks during a press conference, at the Elysee palace Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015 in Paris. France’s government is promising a constitutional change to revoke citizenship for dual-national terrorism convicts as part of measures upholding the state of emergency imposed after the Nov. 13 attacks. Valls also left open the possibility of prolonging the state of emergency beyond its current three-month window. Board reads: Terrorists threats: protecting the French in long term. AP

PARIS — President Francois Hollande announced on Friday that the French government will ask parliament to approve a three-month renewal of the state of emergency put into place after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people.

It would be the second time the measure has been prolonged.

The president’s office said Hollande cited “the terrorist threat” in asking the government to present a bill at the Feb. 3 Cabinet meeting seeking a three-month extension of the state of emergency. The current state of emergency is to expire Feb. 26.

A state of emergency gives special powers to authorities, making it easier to place people under house arrest and conduct searches.

READ: France declares state of emergency after terror attacks

Critics contend the measure impinges on personal freedoms to little effect.

In a first, the Council of State, France’s highest administrative court, on Friday annulled one house arrest after the person in question, put under guard in December, filed suit.

The Interior Ministry had claimed the man, not identified by name, was linked to radical Islamists and was caught last May taking photographs of an apartment where a journalist from Charlie Hebdo —attacked last March in a newsroom massacre — was living under special protection. The man convinced the court his mother lives in the next building and was making a phone call — not taking photographs.

Nearly 400 people had been placed under house arrest through the state of emergency, according to an official breakdown in late December.

READ: Hollande sets out plan to tackle France’s ‘economic emergency’