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| Africa North |
| Mauritanian anti-terrorism law sparks debate |
| 2010-01-14 |
| A new anti-terrorism law passed by the Mauritanian Parliament on January 5th is drawing fire from opposition lawmakers and citizens worried about sweeping government powers. The impetus for the new law was the kidnapping of three Spanish aid workers in November and an Italian couple in December. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for both abductions. The law gives police the power to tap private phone calls, search homes at any time and detain suspects without trial for more than four years. It also gives police reports a legal and non-challengeable status, which worries critics who claim that the police extract confessions through torture. "The goal of the law is to put an end to the phenomenon of terrorism, which has recently affected us," said majority MP Sidi Mohamed Ould Mehem. He said neighbouring countries all had their own anti-terrorism laws, and that it was time Mauritania had its own to preserve its security. "The new law will allow Mauritanian security agencies to exchange information with other countries," said Defence Minister Hamadi Ould Hamadi. Children may also be tried for terrorism under the new law, while those who collaborate with investigators can be given immunity to criminal charges. The law also states that the prosecutor-general may confiscate all property owned by individuals accused of terrorism. "Suspects in terrorism-related cases violate the freedom and security of others, and therefore, the freedom of those suspects must be restricted because they pose a danger to society and its well-being," said MP Mohamed Ould Bebane, speaking in support of the law. Opposition MPs have reservations about increasing the government's power over Mauritanian citizens in the ways the law authorises. "The regime's approval of this law will enhance dictatorship and oppression more than it serves the anti-terrorism experts," said opposition leader and Rally of Democratic Forces head Ahmed Ould Deddah at a press conference on January 4th. "The new legislation opens the door for terrorising citizens, not just by tapping their phone calls, but also by conducting house searches at any time without legal grounds," he said. The president of the Union of Progress Forces Party, Mohamed Ould Mowloud, also has reservations about the new law. "The new law is not aimed at patching up the holes in anti-terrorism legislation," he said. "Rather, it will open the door for what we call 'state terrorism' that violates the basic elements of democracy." |
| Posted by:Fred |