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Draft Iraqi anti-terror law could keep hangman busy
Iraqi MPs debated sweeping anti-terror legislation that would make even crimes such as vandalism subject to the death penalty in a bid to quell the raging insurgency...The wide-ranging anti-terror bill proposes the death penalty not only for those guilty of "terrorist" acts, but for accomplices and those advocating "sectarian strife", according to a copy obtained by AFP. The bill, which was being discussed behind closed doors and could be amended, lists eight offences that could qualify as terrorist acts, including "violence ... vandalism against public buildings ... forming armed gangs ... and using explosives to kill people." Possible offences also include "advocating sectarian sedition or civil war through arming citizens or mobilising them to carry arms against each other". Attacking Iraqi soldiers and police, as well as diplomatic missions, could also lead to execution, as could kidnapping for political, sectarian, ethnic or racial reasons. "The culprit or accomplice in the act would be executed" along with "the instigator, the plotter, and whoever assists in any of the aforementioned crimes," the draft says. Its authors defended the bill's harshness in the face of the mostly Sunni-led insurgency, saying "damage caused by terrorist acts has reached such a point that it threatens national unity and stability." The death penalty was rescinded during the US-led occupation but restored by the US-installed caretaker government in August 2004 despite opposition from key US ally Britain and other European states. Its application, most notably against ousted dictator Saddam Hussein if he is found guilty by the Iraqi Special Tribunal, remains hotly disputed... "We need to protect Iraq and the world against terrorists," said Jawad al-Maliki, an MP from the ruling Dawa party, adding that a vote on the bill was expected within a few days... Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-09-07 |
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