Under the Emergency Law, the security forces arbitrarily arrest and detain persons, mistreat them, and torture them.[8][9][10][11] In 1993, the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the President may invoke the Emergency Law to refer any crime to an Emergency or military court.[7] The result of the Court's ruling is that crimes regarding religious matters are often found not in the ordinary criminal courts but in other courts.[8] Egyptian and international human rights groups assert that the primary purpose of the Emergency State Security Court and the military courts is to punish political activism and dissent, and to persecute individuals who have unorthodox beliefs or practices.[8][10][12] In the Emergency or military courts, the accused has no right of appeal but the sentence is subject to confirmation by the President.