Russian anti-terror bill passes another hurdle

ISN SECURITY WATCH (Wednesday, 22 February: 14.30 CET) - The Russian State Duma, the country's lower house of parliament, has approved by an overwhelming majority the second ridding of a revised counter-terrorism bill, Russian news agencies reported.

The bill, approved in its second reading on Wednesday, defines restrictions that the Russian authorities may impose during counterterrorism operations and bans organizations "whose purposes and actions include the propaganda, justification, and support of terrorism", according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The bill also grants the military permission to shoot down hijacked planes. The bill is scheduled for a final reading next week. If approved, it must then be passed by the upper house of parliament and signed by the president.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree ordering the Kremlin to establish a national counter-terrorism committee to be headed by Federal Security Service (FSB) director Nikolai Patrushev.

The committee will be tasked with improving government regulation of the fight against terrorism and will include a new regional counter-terrorism commission to coordinate efforts with federal authorities.

The decree can be implemented once the new counter-terrorism law is passed. - .isn.ethz.ch

EU adopts anti-terror telecoms plan

By Sapa-AFP, 22 February 2006

European justice ministers have adopted measures to increase police access to telephone and Internet records, laws deemed essential to fight terrorism and organised crime. The measures oblige European Union (EU) countries to keep information about the sender, receiver, time, date, place and length of any communications over the phone or through the Internet, but not the content of the message itself.

The project has raised deep concern about privacy rights and who would pay the costs that they would impose on businesses.

For domestic legal reasons, Ireland and Slovakia opposed the plan which was the result of intensive negotiations between EU member states and the European Parliament last year. Most member states already have laws on retaining telecommunication data, but some, like Germany and Finland, do not and the length of time they are kept range from three months in the Netherlands to four years in Italy.

The plan would now force all EU states to keep such information for between six and 24 months, with members retaining the right to impose longer periods if deemed necessary.

It also leaves them the option of keeping details about calls that did not get through, as requested by Germany, despite the breakthrough made by Spanish police investigating the March 2004 Madrid bombings based on such information. - mybroadband.co.za

Japan - ANTI-TERROR LAW

08mar06 - Identity checks for foreigners

AUSTRALIANS and other foreign visitors could soon be fingerprinted and photographed when they arrive in Japan under a proposed law to fight terrorism. Government members approved the plan, which would see identification data electronically registered, yesterday.

The Bill, to be submitted to the current session of the Japanese Diet, or parliament, aims at blocking people from entering Japan under false identities. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations opposes blanket fingerprinting, saying it infringes on civil and political rights. - the advertiser.news

Terror bill 'breaches international law'

March 17, 2006 - International lawyers have raised serious concerns about Australia's new counter-terrorism laws, questioning whether the legislation breaches international law. The Eminent Jurists Panel on Terrorism, Counter-terrorism and Human Rights has delivered a preliminary report on its review of anti-terror laws passed by federal parliament in December.

Vitit Muntarbhorn, a professor of law at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, and Pakistan human rights lawyer Hina Jilani have held two days of hearings in Australia as part of a global examination of counter-terrorism measures.

They have raised particular concerns about the powers of intelligence agencies under the Australian laws and urged the government to consider whether the measures violated international treaties.

"We invite reflection on whether those counter-terrorism laws, policies and practices comply with international law," their report said. "We express serious concern with regard to the ASIO powers to detain non-suspects, to limit the right to legal representation and the possible negative impact on confidentiality of communications between lawyer and client. "The obligation of the affected person to render information also has negative impacts on the privilege against self-incrimination."

Sweeping counter-terrorism powers became law in early December allowing terrorist suspects to be detained without charge for up to 14 days as well as controls on their movement and communication for up to 12 months.

They also update sedition laws, give police tougher stop, search and seizure powers and allow greater use of security cameras. - the age.com

INDIA, BANGLADESH TO FIGHT TERRORISM

India and Bangladesh agreed on Tuesday to jointly fight terrorism and to enhance trade and transportation links, according to the Indo-Asian News Service.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted his Bangladeshi counterpart Khaleda Zia on Tuesday. He said India is interested in seeing a "strong, stable and economically strong Bangladesh making its full contribution to regional development."

As well as signing a revised trade agreement and a pact to join forces to fight illicit trafficking in narcotics, they also discussed terrorism, illegal migration, border security, water sharing and the need for more confidence-building measures between the two countries.

Zia wanted to assure India that Bangladesh is committed to clamping down on Islamic terrorism.

A spokesperson for the Indian external affairs ministry said shortly after the meeting that both countries are victims of terrorism and it needs to be tackled through joint cooperation.

India is concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism in Bangladesh and has accused Dhaka of providing a haven for rebel groups, according to the Voice of America. Dhaka denies these charges.

Dhaka is concerned about a large trade deficit with India.

The Bangladeshi police began a large scale anti-terror operation late last year, after two judges were murdered in a bombing in November. The police aimed to arrest 2,000 potential suicide bombers belonging to various Islamist groups who want to undermine the country's leadership.

Bangladesh is situated northeast of India. Some 83 percent of the country's 144,000,000 citizens are Muslims, making it one of the largest Islamic countries in the world. - themedialine.org

Nepal keeps terror tag on Maoist guerrillas

Indo-Asian News Service - Kathmandu, March 24, 2006|12:37 IST

Nepal's Maoist guerrillas, outlawed as terrorists in 2003, will continue to be branded as such with the country's apex court striking down a plea by a sympathiser that the tag be withdrawn.

A bench of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Maoists had not shown any signs that they were a political party and not terrorists and would continue to be regarded as such. The decision came even as the rebels opened fire in a crowded bus station in Bara district in southern Nepal, killing a policeman and injuring two civilians.

In a separate case, the court ruled that a controversial and draconian ordinance issued by King Gyanendra last year, allowing the state to detain any suspect for a year without starting legal proceedings, would stay.

The Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment) Act, clamped by the government in 2003 after peace talks broke down between the state and the Maoists, ran out of time last year.

However, Gyanendra, who last year seized power with the help of the army, gave fresh lease of life to the much-criticised law by issuing a royal ordinance.

When the ordinance was challenged in court as being unconstitutional, a bench of three Supreme Court judges Thursday said the state had the power to take under preventive detention anyone suspected of being a threat to national sovereignty and law and order.

However, the decision is expected to be the subject of fresh controversy with two of the judges okaying the ordinance but the third dissenting. - hindustan times

2 days later - security scanners to go nationwide :

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said trials in London of metal detectors to detect weapons such as knives had been "extremely successful". He told the BBC's Sunday AM programme that the technology would now be employed at stations in other cities including Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff. "It will be across the country," he said. "It won't be there all the time. Obviously local police have to use their judgment as to when they deploy officers on the scanning equipment. "We want to make travelling by train as safe as we can."

The trial at Tube and train stations in London, known as Operation Shield, has been running for two months. British Transport Police officers with stop-and-search powers and sniffer dogs use mobile airport-style scanners to check passengers. Since it began, almost 10,000 people have been scanned, 100 have been arrested and 68 knives seized.

Danish PM Scolded on Civil Liberties Restrictions

Hornbech said the bill contradicts Rasmussen's stance in the cartoons row.

COPENHAGEN, March 28, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A senior member of the ruling Liberal Party said Monday, March 27, the new anti-terror bill contradicts Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's strong defense of freedom of expression in the controversy triggered by the cartoons mocking Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

"Police must not be given free reign," Birthe Roenn Hornbech, the party's judicial affairs spokeswoman, told Danish television's TV2, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The bill, to be presented to parliament on Friday, March 31, gives police broader powers, including greater use of phone taps, and gives the domestic intelligence service access, without a warrant, to airline passenger lists. A number of politicians, lawyers and consumers' organizations have in recent weeks expressed concern that new anti-terrorism measures could lead to a police state.

Denmark, one of the United State's staunchest allies in Iraq, enacted an anti-terror law in 2002 following the 9/11 attacks in the US.

The legislation makes it illegal to incite acts of terrorism or offer advice to terrorists and carry a penalty of up to six years in jail.

Contradiction

Hornbech said that the bill contradicted Rasmussen's stance in the global row over the anti-Prophet cartoons. The premier has regretted the hurt caused to Muslims by twelve caricatures, first published by the mass-circulation daily Jyllands-Posten last September and reproduced in other newspapers, but refuses to apologized. He defended the absolute freedom of expression entrenched in the Danish constitution. Denmark's top prosecutor has decided not to press charges against Jyllands-Posten over commissioning and printing the cartoons because it did not violate the freedom of expression laws. Danish Muslims are estimated at 180,000 or around 3 per cent of Denmark's 5.4 million. Islam is Denmark's second largest religion after the Lutheran Protestant Church, which is actively followed by four-fifths of the country's population. - islam-online.net

Nepal tightens anti-terror law

Associated Press - Kathmandu, April 4, 2006

Nepal government on Tuesday banned all forms of public protest in the capital after tightening its anti-terror law, preparing for a crackdown on this week's nationwide anti-monarchy strike by the Opposition.

The opposition vowed to defy the ban.

The country's seven major opposition parties have planned protests, marches and rallies for the four-day strike that starts on Thursday, aiming to pressure King Gyanendra to give up the direct rule that he assumed last year after sacking the government.

The government said in a statement that it had banned "mass meetings, protest rallies and demonstrations in Kathmandu and Lalitpur," a suburb.

Two senior leaders of the Nepali Congress and the United Marxist-Leninist parties, the two main opposition groups, said the protest campaign would continue as planned "This is completely illegal. We will defy this. We will go to the streets," UML leader KP Oli told the agency. "We are responsible political parties, and the government can't put a ban 36 hours before the rallies. We cannot accept this."

The government ban came a day after the government widened the sweep of its anti-terror law to allow anyone in contact with anti-monarchy Maoist rebels to be jailed as a terrorist. Political leaders said on Tuesday they fear the amended law would be used against them because they have thrown their support behind the rebels' strike, which begins on Thursday and is aimed at pressuring King Gyanendra to give up power that he seized last year after sacking the prime minister.

The alliance of seven opposition parties, meanwhile, hailed an announcement by the rebels to halt attacks in Kathmandu, the capital.

The rebel chief, who goes by the assumed name Prachanda, said on Monday that the decision was made in response to concerns of political parties and civil society groups. Smaller demonstrations have already started. Twenty students were detained on Tuesday after police fired tear gas and beat pro-democracy protesters with batons, according to student leader Suresh Gautam and a police officer who declined to be identified by name.

Arjun Narsingh of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in Nepal, told the agency on Tuesday that changes in the anti-terror law are an attempt to "threaten and terrorise the opposition parties and the media."

The amended Terrorists and Disruptive Activities Control and Punishment Ordinance define "terrorist accomplices" as those who have any contact with the rebels. That has raised concerns about party activists and civilians -- who are often coerced into supporting the guerrillas -- and journalists who cover rebel gatherings and interview their leaders.

"This will be another weapon for the government to strike against the media, which is already under many restrictions," said Bishnu Nisthuri, president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists.

A senior UN official said the government was not giving the parties enough political space for peaceful protests. "What I hear is not the message I would like to hear from the government, that peaceful protests is a right and should be upheld and security forces should use only absolute minimum force in maintaining law and order," Ian Martin, the Nepal representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Monday.

Under the amended anti-terror law, anyone who disseminates the information about the rebels could face one to three years in prison and fines of up to 50,000 rupees (US$700; euro580).

Human rights groups say hundreds of people have already been detained under the law, which allowed for the detention without charge for up to a year of anyone suspected of sympathising with the communist rebels. - hindustantimes.com

Philippine President praises House approval of anti-terror bill

April 5th - 2006 - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lauded the House of Representatives Wednesday for approving the anti-terrorism bill, describing it "a bold and unambiguous stand in the interest of national and global security. "

Arroyo thanked House Speaker Jose de Venecia, one of her political supporters, and other lawmakers present at the Mass in Lubao, Pampanga Province, for such a wonderful gift on her 59th birthday. "We stand beside the region and the world against the evil that twists the faith of its disciples and turns them into bombers and takers of innocent lives," she said.

The anti-terrorism bill, according to Arroyo, said, is a preemptive legal strike intended to limit the terrorists' space. " It augurs well for the safety and well-being of our people as well as our neighbors and allies," she said.

The House also passed other bills including the national budget bill for 2006 after Tuesday midnight, Arroyo said, adding that many congressmen texted her "Happy Birthday" using cell phone messages early morning Wednesday because they were still awake.

The President said now she was hoping to push for Charter change to improve the country's political system primarily by shifting to a federal-parliamentary form of government.

After a period of amendments, the House plenary approved the anti-terrorism bill. One of the major amendments provides that an act of terror will no longer be punished with death. Those found guilty of terrorism will instead be imposed of life imprisonment and fines.

However, analysts said the bill will still meet strong blocking in the opposition-led senate before it was signed by Arroyo into law. - Source: Xinhua

New phone-tapping powers in Australia

By Mike Head - 5 April 2006

A further wave of police-state laws is currently being pushed through the Australian parliament without the Howard government even claiming any new terrorist threat. The measures-six bills so far-are in addition to the detention without trial, sedition and "advocating terrorism" legislation passed by the federal and state parliaments just before Christmas.

Virtually no media coverage has been given to the latest laws, even though they will authorise the government and its security agencies for the first time to intercept the telephone and email communications of completely innocent people. They will also extend the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation's (ASIO) secret detention and interrogation powers for a decade, effectively making them permanent.

The Telecommunications Interception (Amendment) Act 2006, which was pushed through both houses of parliament last week, permits the federal police and ASIO to covertly monitor or read anyone's phone calls, emails, SMSs and other "stored communications". This power extends to so-called "B-Parties"-innocent people who have, even if unwittingly, communicated with someone suspected of a crime or of being a threat to "national security".

Intimate or confidential conversations that "B-Parties" have with other people, including family members, friends, work colleagues, lawyers and doctors, can be bugged. This includes discussions with a lawyer under legal professional privilege. The authorities can use the information collected for many purposes, including to initiate prosecutions, even if it is irrelevant to the original suspect.

To obtain an interception warrant, ASIO need only show that it is "likely to assist" in obtaining intelligence "related to security". These vague terms leave vast room for arbitrary or political use. There is no protection against the government eavesdropping on conversations involving Members of Parliament and journalists, who rely on confidential sources.

By intercepting calls to mobile phones, the authorities can also trace a person's movements. Federal and state police and other law enforcement agencies can have a tap in place for up to 45 days, while ASIO warrants last for three months.

Claiming that it was "urgent" to do so, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock bulldozed the bill through in a matter of days, brushing aside a Senate report in which MPs, including government backbenchers, appealed for a series of modifications to soften the Bill's obvious "Big Brother" connotations.

These amendments included confining interceptions to people "suspected of engaging in the planning of, or other involvement in, terrorist acts or murder". The defeat of that amendment only serves to confirm that these measures, like the more than 30 other pieces of "anti-terrorism" legislation already passed since 2002, are not about protecting ordinary people from terrorism. Rather, their purpose is to hand draconian powers to the security and intelligence agencies to spy on and move against ordinary people.

The "war on terror" has already been used as a cover for a rapid expansion of tapping. According to the latest official statistics released by Ruddock, 3,028 intercept warrants were granted in 2003-2004, a 41 percent rise since 2000-2001. In the early 1990s, less than 250 warrants were authorised annually.

These figures provide only a partial picture, however, because they exclude ASIO warrants, the numbers of which are kept secret from the public. Moreover, the legislation requires the major telecommunications providers, such as Telstra, to provide ASIO with intercept data which they have obtained, ostensibly for the purpose of maintaining network integrity.

In addition, there are now powers to plant surveillance and tracking devices on people, vehicles and premises, whether or not the subjects are alleged to be involved in any crime. During the first half of 2005, 257 warrants were issued under the newly-introduced Surveillance Devices Act 2004.

On March 29, Ruddock tabled amendments to strengthen and continue, until 2016 at least, ASIO's interrogation and detention powers, which were first introduced in 2003 with a three-year sunset clause. Under this regime, ASIO can interrogate someone for up to 48 hours, if an interpreter is required, or detain them for up to a week for questioning, simply because it alleges they may have information relating to terrorism. This is an addition to the measures introduced late last year, which allow for secret "preventative" detention for up to 14 days and for house arrest for as long as a year at a time.

Ruddock's move followed a bipartisan review by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, in which Labor MPs joined their government counterparts in backing the powers as a "useful tool". Although the committee recommended a new five-year sunset clause, Ruddock said a decade-long extension would match the 10-year period agreed by the state Labor governments for last year's laws.

Ruddock claimed the amendments enhanced "rights and safeguards" for people under questioning or detention. He did not mention the lengthening of questioning periods by discounting time spent on procedural matters, handling complaints, legal advice, medical attention, religious observances and recuperation breaks.

A handful of minor concessions only underscore the far-reaching character of the powers. Subjects will have an explicit right to contact a lawyer-but ASIO can still vet the lawyer; the monitoring of subject-lawyer communications will be banned under questioning warrants-yet, will still be allowed in detention; and the authorities may permit subjects to inform their families or employers of their detention-but only as a matter of discretion in some circumstances.

The parliamentary report gave a censored glimpse of the use of the powers between mid-2003, when they were introduced, and mid-2005. It said questioning had occurred 14 times, while no one had been formally detained. The questioning, described as "polite and dispassionate, if persistent," lasted for as long as 43 hours spread over nine days. Apparently little evidence was produced, because only four people were charged with any offence as a result.

Predictably, none of the 25 former judges handpicked to serve as "issuing authorities" to authorise and monitor the interrogations had rejected a request by the attorney-general for a questioning warrant. Yet, lawyers who testified before the committee expressed outrage that the warrants gave them and their clients no information whatsoever about the alleged reasons for the questioning.

ASIO has probably carried out many more interrogations without warrants, or parliamentary knowledge, by threatening its targets with detention if they did not cooperate. ASIO's and the government's contempt for democratic scrutiny was underlined by the fact that passages were deleted from the report "at the request of ASIO," even though the committee "did not accept that the content ... constituted a national security concern".

In one day, Ruddock also introduced a range of Bills to strengthen the powers of intelligence and law enforcement agencies relating to "border compliance", "aviation transport security", "maritime transport and offshore facilities" and "powers of intervention at sea".

All of this has happened with barely a mention, let alone a criticism, in the mainstream media. Once again, there is no real opposition within the media and political establishment to the tearing up of fundamental democratic rights and complete acceptance of the Howard government's bogus "war on terrorism". - www.wsws.org

China, Turkmenistan step up anti-terror measures

BEIJING, April 4 (Reuters) - China and Turkmenistan agreed on Tuesday to fight terrorism together, Xinhua news agency reported during a visit to Beijing by Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov.

The two countries would "further enhance law-enforcement cooperation in (the) security and anti-terrorism sector", Xinhua said, quoting a joint statement.

Many of the 19 million Muslim Uighurs who make up the majority of China's western Xinjiang province want more autonomy for the region. Some have staged riots and bomb attacks to try to establish an independent state they call "East Turkistan".

China is especially keen to maintain stability in the region as it contains 30 percent of the country's oil reserves.

"Terrorism, splittism and extremism pose a grave threat to the security and stability in the region," a statement signed by Niyazov and Chinese President Hu Jintao said.

"The two countries agreed that it is an important component of the worldwide war against terrorism to crack down on the separatist forces of 'East Turkistan'," Xinhua said.

Niyazov and Hu on Monday oversaw the signing of several bilateral agreements, including one expanding energy cooperation.

Niyazov has exercised harsh one-man rule in his Central Asian country since 1985, and he has cultivated a cult of personality echoing the country's Stalinist past under the Soviet Union. He styles himself as the "Turkmenbashi", or father of the Turkmen.

Hu said Niyazov was a "good friend" and called his six-day visit to China that began on Sunday a "new milestone". - www.alertnet.org

Philipines: VOTING 116-28, HOUSE PASSES ANTI-TERROR BILL ON 3rd READING

MANILA, APRIL 6, 2006 (STAR) By Delon Porcalla - The House of Representatives has approved on final reading the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2005, which lawmakers hailed as the country's contribution to the global campaign against terrorism.

Voting 116-28, congressmen debated until the early hours yesterday to approve the proposed anti-terror law which Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. said "reflects (the lawmakers') resolve to fight head-on the threats of terrorism."

De Venecia expressed optimism that the opposition-dominated Senate will act positively on the measure. He said the approval of the anti-terror bill was a "major step to enhance the Philippines' capability to meet threats from regional and global terrorism and would greatly help the country's efforts to wage war against all forms of terrorism."

The bill defines terrorism as "the premeditated use, threatened use, actual use of violence, force, or by any means of destruction perpetrated against persons or properties with the intention of creating or sowing a state of danger, terror, panic, fear or chaos to the general public, group of persons or particular person or coercing or intimidating the government."

There had been controversy since the bill also allows the wiretapping of landline and mobile phones, but only with a court order. Offenses considered as terror acts under the proposed law include threatening or causing death or serious bodily harm to a person or persons; threatening or causing serious risk to health or safety of the public or any segment of the public or causing substantial damage or wanting destruction or resorting to arson on critical infrastructure or property, public or private; and serious or unlawful interference with or serious unlawful disruption of an essential service, facility or system, whether public or private is also covered by the bill as an offense.

Other offenses which are considered acts of terrorism include hijacking or threatening to hijack any land transportation; kidnapping or serious illegal detention of any civilian; and attacks against diplomats.

The bill specifically identified biological attacks as an act of terrorism, including the manufacture, possession, supply and transporting of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agents, explosives, bombs, grenades, projectiles, devices or other lethal weapons.

Approval of the bill came in the wake of renewed calls from Malacañang and concerned sectors for tougher measures against terrorists following the bombing attack of a Church-run cooperative store in Jolo that left five people killed and 20 others wounded over a week ago.

President Arroyo lauded the House for approving the anti-terror bill, describing the move as "a bold and unambiguous stand in the interest of national and global security." "The eyes of the world have been focused on the valiant efforts of the Philippines to fight terror and the passage of the anti-terror bill takes the fight a step higher," Mrs. Arroyo said. While the nation awaits the action of the Senate on the vital measure, the President reaffirmed her commitment to end the cycle of terror and constrict terrorist cells "through all avenues of political action, law enforcement and international cooperation." She said the anti-terrorism bill is a preemptive legal strike intended to limit the terrorists' space for maneuver and flight. "It augurs well for the safety and well-being of our people as well as our neighbors and allies in the free world," she added.

The Philippines currently chairs the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Counter-Terrorism Task Force and will host this month a counter-terrorism conference seeking a middle ground to combat the threat.

Security experts said the Philippines is one of the "weakest links" in the global campaign against terror due to the lack of an anti-terror law, corruption, porous borders, and poorly-trained and -equipped security forces. The country is also seen as a training ground and transit point for members of the regional Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremist terror network.

Advocacy

Congressmen have crossed party lines to turn down previous proposals to sanction the death penalty on convicted terrorists, in apparent anticipation of President Arroyo's plans to repeal the Death Penalty Law. House Deputy Majority Leader Edcel Lagman of Albay, a staunch anti-death penalty advocate, said terrorists "can never be deterred by the death penalty because (they are) fascinated with and motivated by death and violence. "Execution would even make him or her a hero in the eyes of other terrorists who in turn would be emboldened to inflict further violence on the people," Lagman said.

Among those who opposed the passage of the bill were militant lawmakers, particularly led by the "Batasan Five," the leftist congressmen who have sought refuge in the House to evade arrest and detention on rebellion charges.

Bayan Muna Rep. Joel Virador, one of the five militant lawmakers, declared the approval of the bill would ultimately benefit "the whims of the US."

Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong, who once served as justice secretary, said the anti-terror bill serves as an expression of concern of the country in the fight against terrorism.

One of the principal authors, Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco, added: "We should not wait for bigger and deadlier terror attacks to convince us of the immediacy and indispensability of an anti-terror law."

The anti-terrorism bill lumped together 12 similar proposals made by several opposition and administration congressmen. The measures were consolidated and sponsored by the House committees on justice and foreign affairs, jointly headed by Datumanong and Cuenco, where both panels agreed to pattern the bill after the anti-terror law of the United States. Deleting the capital punishment sanction for convicted terrorists, the anti-terror bill imposes life imprisonment along with a P10 million fine. Under the measure which had been transmitted to the Senate, street protests and other similar public concerted activities criticizing government policies "should not be considered as acts of terrorism even if they are marred by violence."

"With the cleansing amendments, we have enacted an anti-terrorism bill which would ferret out and punish terrorists without equipping the state with an instrument of terror against political dissenters," Lagman added. - With Aurea Calica, Paolo Romero - newsflash.org

UK: New anti-terror laws come into force

Published: 13 April 2006

An anti-terror measure introduced after the July 7 bombings in London came into force today amid warnings it could make the country less safe.

Under the Terrorism Act 2006, it is now a criminal offence to "glorify" terrorism in the hope of encouraging others to carry out such atrocities.

But critics of the new law say it is so widely drawn it could curtail free speech and put legitimate political protesters in danger of being prosecuted.

The latest weapons in the armoury for fighting the terror threat were finally approved by Parliament last month following a bitter battle with the House of Lords over glorification. The element was opposed by both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and at one stage survived a Labour backbench rebellion in the Commons by just one vote. The Terrorism Act 2006 also outlaws the distribution of terrorist publications, planning or preparing an attack and giving or receiving terrorism training. It makes trespass on nuclear sites a terrorist offence and allows organisations involved in all such activities to be banned.

Human rights group Liberty said it was concerned the law would outlaw "passionate speech" and criminalise non-violent political parties and "make Britain less safe by silencing dissent". Policy director Gareth Crossman said: "These new powers make us not only less free, we are also less safe when we drive dissent underground and alienate minorities. "Swept up in this new anti-terror safety net could be those who protest against dictators, like Zimbabwe's Mugabe, or North Korean dissidents. "

Another highly contentious element of the new laws - the ability to hold terror suspects without charge for up to 28 days - has not yet been put into effect. The Government had wanted to increase the limit from 14 days to 90 but 49 Labour MPs helped vote out that plan - Tony Blair's first Commons defeat at the hands of his own backbenchers.

Consultation with police chiefs over the doubling of the present limit are continuing - and Home Secretary Charles Clarke has made clear he would still like to extend it further.

The glorification proposal was introduced in the immediate wake of the July 7 atrocities as part of the Prime Minister's package of measures to clamp down on "preachers of hate".

Mr Blair has said it would allow "far stronger action" against people who indirectly incited terrorism - such as those carrying placards praising the London suicide bombings at protests in the capital against the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

It would send out a "signal of strength", he said. - news.independent.co.uk

Madrid and London bombs shape French anti-terror plans

By Jon Boyle PARIS (Reuters) -

France has overhauled the way it combats terrorism in the light of attacks on neighbours Britain and Spain, part of a broader response to the growing threat it sees from Islamist extremists.

The first ever French strategic review on terrorism and domestic security says "Islamist-inspired world terrorism" threatens France, with disaffected home-grown youths and converts to Islam heightening the threat of attack.

A key focus of the document is how to communicate with traumatised citizens to ensure criminal inquiries are not derailed by a public witch hunt against people or communities thought linked to the perpetrators.

It draws heavily on the British experience, reflecting the admiration of France's security and political establishment for London's measured response to the July 7, 2005 suicide bomb attacks that killed 52 people.

"In terms of lessons learnt, the way the British handled themselves in July 2005 was immensely important...There are so many things the Brits did right, it would have been rather stupid of us not to take some leaves from their book," said Francois Heisbourg, one of the prime movers behind the new French doctrine agreed last month.

The doctrine sets the ground rules for anti-terror laws.

Central to the British success, he said, was the "Two Blairs" communication strategy: Prime Minister Tony Blair gave the political reaction while London police chief Sir Ian Blair updated the public at key points in the investigation.

"It sounds very banal, but people have greater trust when politicians do politics and operational guys do operations," Heisbourg told Reuters.

Top UK anti-terrorist policeman Peter Clarke stressed in a speech last week that police had deliberately refused to give a "running commentary" on their findings, and had tried to give a "reassuring, consistent message" to the public.

He said they had chosen to issue detailed statements at intervals, but without taking press questions that could have made them appear evasive or compromised the investigation. "There are some areas where you simply cannot go," Clarke said.

REACH OUT TO MUSLIMS

Heisbourg said the British strategy was underpinned by the aim of establishing a national consensus, with police reaching out not just to the Muslim community but the families of the bombing suspects.

"If you're not clear about that sort of objective, you're not going to be able to implement it when the time comes around," said Heisbourg. "If you don't, then you're on the road to Guantanamo," he said, referring to the U.S.-run detention centre on Cuba where hundreds of terrorism suspects are being held without trial, drawing widespread international criticism.

"You'll have no problem finding 70-80 percent of the population to say 'bash the bastards'. And in a time of tension and crisis, that temptation is one that is very difficult to resist if you haven't thought it through before."

The French review follows an update of anti-terrorism laws earlier this year, boosting phone and video surveillance and imposing longer detention periods and sentences.

It also draws lessons from the Spanish government's handling of the Madrid train bombings on March 11, 2004, which took place three days before a parliamentary election.

Spain's rightwing government, apparently heading for an election victory, initially blamed Basque separatist group ETA for the Madrid attacks. But when it emerged Islamist militants were behind the 191 deaths, angry voters threw it out of office.

"When a government starts losing the trust of the people in the heat of a crisis, anything can go wrong. And this is what happened in Madrid," Heisbourg said.

The strategic review concludes: "The unity and cohesion of our country will save us from the 'clash of civilisations' that terrorism wants to drag us into." - Reuters

Turkish cabinet clears new anti-terror legislation

Güncelleme: 07:42 ET 18 Nisan 2006 Salı

ANKARA - The Turkish Cabinet on Monday approved new anti-terror legislation which expected to be tabled before the parliament for debate and a vote later this week.

Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of the cabinet late Monday, government spokesman and Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that terrorism could not be prevented just by laws but that the draft legislation would strengthen the hand of security forces in dealing with acts of terrorism.

"This draft law is not designed to limit freedoms, is designed to establish public order to enable the use of freedoms comfortably," Cicek said.

The new anti-law draft foresees penalties of up to three years in prison for those carrying illegal placards and chanting illegal slogans.

In the draft Cicek said that they have abandoned the Council of Europe's definition of terrorism and retained the regulations as in previous laws which sees acts of force and violence as necessary for the definition of terrorism.

The intentional setting of fire in forests, committing crimes which would lead to the declaration of emergency rule and smuggling of historical artefacts have also been included in the definition of terrorist acts under the draft legislation.

Those who willingly or knowingly gave financial support to the terrorist organisation will face prison terms from one to five years and current sentences handed down to NGOs or institutions giving support to illegal actions or statements would be doubled. - ntvmsnbc.com

EU Watchdog Warns About Anti-Terror Rules

By CONSTANT BRAND Associated Press Writer - April 19, 2006, The Associated Press BRUSSELS, Belgium -

The EU's data protection watchdog warned Europeans to be aware that new anti-terror and anti-crime rules _ requiring storage of telephone records and airline passenger information _ were rushed into law without proper safeguards protecting civil liberties. EU governments in December reached a contentious agreement to retain phone and e-mail data for use in anti-terror investigations. They also plan to rush through plans for passports and visas with biometric technology, including a computer chip with fingerprint data. The new measures, however, could lead to violations of privacy rights, as well as legal fights in national and EU courts, as it abuses the right to data privacy, said Peter Hustinx, the EU's data protection supervisor, who analyzes all EU laws and regulations involving the use of information.

"You had better be aware," Hustinx said, referring to the 450 million citizens of EU countries.

Hustinx, presenting his annual report Wednesday, said the general public needed to know more about the implications of recent EU legislation _ notably anti-terror measures passed in the wake of the Madrid and London bombings of 2004 and 2005.

Most people blindly trust that technology, governments and companies will respect their rights, Hustinx told reporters. But being "online all the time," using mobile phones, laptops or other technology, "brings with it an increasing potential for everything which ranges from abuse to sheer bad luck."

Hustinx said he expected all EU governments to fall in line with the EU's overall data protection rules, which came into force before the EU's fight on terrorism in 2001, by the time a grace period ends next year. He warned he would file complaints of any rights violations at the EU's high court in Luxembourg. Hustinx, who has objected previously to the anti-terror measures, again questioned whether it was necessary to require that telecommunications companies retain phone and Internet records for six months in case they are needed by investigators.

The telecommunications industry also has questioned the feasibility and costs of maintaining so much data.

"If this was going to be necessary we would need very strong safeguards, and the directive is a little weak on that point," Hustinx said.

He has also raised concerns over the EU-U.S. deal on sharing airline passenger data, which the European Parliament has challenged in court, saying it violates privacy rules.

Interim arrangements already force airlines to transfer passenger information _ from credit card numbers to meal preferences _ to U.S. authorities within 15 minutes of departure. That deal, Hustinx said, violates EU privacy rules and could lead to unauthorized use of personal information.

In March, Hustinx warned that a separate proposal for EU nations to share police information online _ DNA samples, fingerprints or telephone records _ also poses a threat to privacy and security. - chron.com

Egyptian opposition protests extension in emergency laws

22 April 2006 CAIRO - The Muslim Brotherhood, in conjunction with opposition parties, launched a campaign objecting to the extension of the Egyptian Emergency Law, which has been currently in progress for a quarter century. It is mentioned that the last time of extending such a law was in 2003, and it was extended for three extra years to expire at the end of next month (May).

During a conference held in conjunction with a group of representatives of opposition parties, the general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Muhammad Mahdy Akef, declared that the emergency law resulted in the rise of disorder in the country. Muhamad Akef was commenting on the confrontations that took place between Muslims and Christians over an attack on three churches that occurred last Friday in Alexandria which left one killed and more than 20 injured. Akef underlined that such terrible events happened due to the absence of liberty. Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood's general guide was astonished by the detention ofstudents saying 'No' to the emergency law.

The police arrested last week about 100 students affiliated to Assuit University who belonged to the Islamic Current or the Muslim Brotherhood. They were detained after they had held demonstrations inside the university, claiming not to extend the Emergency Law. A spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood Essam Al Eriyan confirmed that the detainees or the students were released. He added that a decision was issued last Wednesday afternoon to free the last group of students, pointing out that 45 members of the Muslim Brotherhood were still confined in Turah prison south of Cairo.

On the other hand, a coordinator of the Kifaiya Movement George Isaac stated that the emergency law did not help avoid terrorist attacks, warning of replacing the emergency law with a permanent anti-terror one. Meanwhile, the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has promised in his last presidential election's programmes cancellation of the emergency law, but he assured, in a declaration telecast via an Arab TV satellite channel Al Arabia, that the government will cancel the current emergency law in case they issue a new anti-terror law. President Mubarak declared that the new anti-terror law will take two years to be valid.

Meanwhile, around 114 members of the Egyptian People's Assembly declared that they formed a new coalition named 'Parliament's Members Against Emergency Law'. The Egyptian People's Assembly will decide on extending the emergency law in the next few weeks. - khaleejtimes.com

Dutch Parliament OKs Anti-Terror Measures

By TOBY STERLING Associated Press Writer The Associated Press -- AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Houston Chronicle

The Dutch parliament approved new anti-terrorism measures Tuesday that make it easier to arrest suspects without strong evidence and hold them longer without charge.

Prosecutors will be able to approve surveillance, infiltration or wiretapping of suspects even when there is not "reasonable suspicion" that a suspect may have committed a criminal act.

The new law, which goes into effect immediately, is the latest of many enacted in the Netherlands since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S.

"Evidence a terrorist attack is being prepared" will be enough to make an arrest, the Justice Ministry said in a statement. "The result is that unusual investigation methods can be used more quickly against terror ... terrorists aren't easily deterred by the threat of heavy punishments."

Earlier changes have included allowing the use of evidence gathered by the secret service in criminal trials, banning membership in a terrorist group and increased penalties for terrorism-related crimes.

The new law also will expand the practice of allowing spot searches by police without probable cause in "airports, industrial complexes, sports stadiums and government buildings." "Police will be able to preventatively search people, and vehicles or things without permission of a prosecutor" or judge, the ministry said.

Finally, the law increases the period of time a suspect can be held without charge from three to 14 days.

"During this period, grave concerns (of a crime) are no longer required in cases where a terrorist crime is suspected; a reasonable suspicion is enough," it said.

There has been little protest about the loss of civil liberties from such laws in the Netherlands, where trust in government is traditionally strong.

Although Dutch prosecutors lost several high-profile cases against terrorism suspects in 2002 and 2003, they have won an equal number of important convictions under the new laws. Most notable was the conviction in March of nine Muslim men of membership in the so-called "Hofstad" terrorist network.

They included homegrown radical Mohammed Bouyeri, the Amsterdam-born son of Moroccan immigrants who was earlier sentenced to life in prison for the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh.

Other alleged members of the same group are awaiting trial on separate charges.

Denmark Toughens Anti-terror Laws

IslamOnline.net & News Agencies COPENHAGEN –

Denmark adopted on Friday, June 2, two laws designed to give police greater powers to fight terrorism, drawing diatribe from the opposition, which said that new sweeping measures would turn the country into a "police state."

The two laws, overwhelmingly endorsed by the Danish parliament, allow video surveillance of public places and large gatherings of people, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The measures give the Danish intelligence services (PET) access to aircraft passenger lists without a warrant. They also allow the PET to obtain the financial history and medical records of suspects and monitor communications of "suspected terrorists."

The statutes further facilitate information exchange between the PET and the Danish Intelligence Defense Service (FE) on individuals in Denmark and overseas.

Under the new legislations, Danish police are no longer required to obtain a warrant for individual telephone numbers. A single warrant will permit authorities to listen in on a suspect for a four-week period, regardless of which telephone he uses.

The two acts were supported by the majority Liberal, Conservative and Danish People's parties, as well as the Social Democrats.

Denmark enacted an anti-terror law in 2002 following the 9/11 attacks in the US.

The legislation makes it illegal to incite "acts of terrorism" or offer advice to terrorists and carry a penalty of up to six years in jail.

Police State

Danish opposition parties blasted the new laws, saying the measures undermine civil liberties and turn Denmark into a "police state."

"We are on the way to a police state where the intelligence services have virtually a free hand to spy on citizens," opposition spokeswoman Line Barfod told AFP. "Nothing can justify such Draconian measures as the security of the state is not threatened," she added.

Danish MP Birthe Roenn Hornbech blasted the new measures as contradicting Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's strong defense of freedom of expression during the crisis of cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Denmark has been the focus of the Muslim anger after a Danish daily published last September a series of cartoons mocking the Prophet.

The insulting drawings were later reprinted by European newspapers on claims of freedom of expression.

The Danish premier has regretted the hurt caused to Muslims by the cartoons, but has refused to apologize under the pretext of fee speech.

Several European countries have moved to adopt tougher anti-terror laws in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the United States.

Rights groups have said such laws have led to serious rights abuses across European democracies and gave an excuse to third-world countries to crack down hard on opposition activists.