Bahraini.TV

Deadlock over anti-terror law

by mahmood on 12/07/06 at 8:18 pm · email  · print  

Parliament reached a deadlock for the second time yesterday over articles related to the death penalty in the government-proposed anti-terrorism law.

MPs couldn’t reach a final decision to pass the new law following last week’s session on whether it should include the death sentence.

They only managed to revise 12 of the law’s 34 articles, including four that they eventually postponed to an extra-ordinary session on Sunday.

Parliament’s foreign affairs, defence and national security committee has to meet with representatives from all of parliament’s blocs yesterday to reach an agreement on all disputed articles. Al Menbar Islamic Bloc president MP Dr Salah Abdulrahman urged MPs to vote on articles without further discussion on Sunday.

“We don’t want to halt the law, but in its current state it is unacceptable, and this why we will come up with something we all agree on (by Sunday),” he said.

However, MP Mohammed Al Shaikh demanded that discussions must be kept open without any restrictions.

“Everyone here has the same rights and I don’t care what will be taken in the committee, which I am a member of, because I am entitled to speak,” he said.

Parliament second vice-chairman Shaikh Adel Al Maawada, who chaired the session in the absence of chairman Khalifa Al Dhahrani, told Dr Abdulrahman to raise the issue of open discussions for a vote on Sunday.

According to the law, people who deal with foreign terrorist organisations receive a life sentence and if they carry out operations with their backing get the death penalty.

MPs also disagreed on the government’s definition of terrorism, which stipulates that anyone who uses violence or threatens others, whatever the reason or objective, to execute an act, whether alone or for a group, to terrorise people, or scare them, is considered a terrorist.

It also says that any threat to people’s lives, property, freedom, rights or security, or damage to the environment, public or private utilities or national resources and international facilities, is considered as a terrorist act.

The definition of a terrorist act also includes threats to regional stability and safety or the countries’ leaderships and politicians.

Some MPs are calling for the adoption of the definition of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to Combat International Terrorism, which was used in the money laundering law passed by parliament.

The definition specifically exclude armed struggle for liberation and self-determination.

Others believe that the foreign affairs, defence and national security committee, which studied the proposed law, did not cover all terrorist activities in its amendments.

Meanwhile, Al Wefaq National Islamic Society expressed its concern that the law was being pushed by the government.

“We have sent the society’s views on the law to parliament’s bloc presidents and the society deputy secretary-general Shaikh Hussain Al Daihi has been assigned to convince MPs to improve its articles,” said society secretary Sakina Al Ekri.

The law, which was put to parliament by the government last year, has been criticised by non-governmental organisations for allegedly containing articles that would allow authorities to misuse it to restrict freedoms.

About 30 political, human rights and legal affairs societies signed a joint statement in April last year rejecting the law.

They are calling on Parliament to reject the law, or the government to withdraw and reconsider it, particularly articles which they say restrict human rights.

They maintain that many articles violated and contradicted the principles of human rights guaranteed by the National Action Charter, Constitution and international agreements.
GDN :: Mohammed Al-A’ali :: 12 July, ’06