Lawmakers accept anti-terror legislation with reservations
MDP MPs called for the removal of Prosecutor General Bisham.
23 Sep 2019, 9:00 AM
Parliament on Sunday moved ahead with new anti-terror legislation submitted by the government despite reservations about the proposed restriction of constitutional rights and longer detention periods for terror suspects.
The bill, which seeks to revise the 2015 Anti-Terrorism Act, was accepted unanimously with 54 votes in favour and sent to the national security and foreign affairs committee for review.
The proposed changes would authorise police to arrest terror suspects without a warrant, conduct invasive body searches, deny private consultations with legal counsel and detain suspects for 48 hours before taking them before a judge. Expressions of support for terrorist organisations as well as the sporting of banners, photos, literature or clothes deemed a declaration of support would be criminalised.
The scope of crimes outlined in the existing law would be widened along with two new chapters dealing with repatriation, de-radicalisation and rehabilitation of jihadi fighters and their families.
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