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| Africa North |
| Tunisia to review anti-terror laws |
| 2013-05-17 |
| [MAGHAREBIA] A recent call in Tunisia to repeal the Anti-Terrorism Law drew a barrage of comments ranging from supporters to opponents. Human Rights Minister Samir Dilou raised the contentious issue on Monday (May 13th) when he said his ministry was preparing an amendment to the 2003 counter-terror statute. "A commission has been working for months to revise the Anti-Terrorism Law so as to ensure good handling and dealing with issues of a special nature, and to ensure respect for human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. and compliance with international conventions ratified by Tunisia and guaranteeing fair trial," the minister said. Dilou stressed, "The current law is still in force when referring detainees to the public prosecutor although this is unconstitutional and does not respond to the conditions of a fair trial." Dilou's position gained support from the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LTDH), which issued a statement on Monday rejecting the current law "because it affects the foundations of a fair trial from its roots and completely violates human rights". "This law will be used as an excuse to settle political scores and to conduct trials of opinions and intentions," the league said. Amna Guellali, the director of Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... Tunisia, told Magharebia that the act "includes definitions of terrorism and incitement to terrorism that are too loose such as intimidating a person or a group of people, influencing state policy, disturbing public order, undermining persons or properties, and damaging infrastructure". "Pursuant to this law, a march by truckers that causes the closure of a motorway can be considered an act of terrorism," she said. "In addition, the definition of terrorism contained in this law does not mention the intention to resort to lethal methods of violence, creating danger for the population, or the intention of hostage-taking." Guellali called also for a more precise definition of the concepts of "incitement to terrorism" and "belonging to a terrorist organization". Political analyst Noureddine Mbarki told Magharebia that calls to activate the anti-terror law were justified by "the emergence of the terrorist threat as a fact and the absence of any constitutive law that can serve as a substitute". |
| Posted by:Fred |