UK extends anti-terror laws

LONDON, England -- Britain has introduced new anti-terrorism legislation under which organisations such as the Palestinian group Hamas and Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers could be banned.

The Terrorism Act 2000, which replaces the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1973, also targets cyber-terrorists who hack into computers to undermine governments or threaten lives.

It allows ministers to add groups to a list of proscribed organisations, which currently includes Irish paramilitary groups such as the Irish Republican Army and the Ulster Volunteer Force.

But the new legislation -- which came into force on Monday -- has been criticised by civil liberty groups as being too wide-ranging.

Other groups that could be banned under the Act include the Kurdistan People's Party (PKK) of Turkey and the Islamic group Hezbollah could be outlawed.

Violent animal rights groups could also be targeted. Police suspect animal extremists were behind a spate of letter bombs sent to shops and small businesses in England this month.

Once an organisation is on the list, it will be illegal to be a member of the group, support it financially, display its emblems or share a platform with a member at a meeting of three or more people.

The act widens the definition of terrorism to the use or threat of violence for the purpose of advancing a "political, religious or ideological cause."

Foreign governments have complained that Britain offers a haven to groups conducting violent campaigns in their countries.

Until now foreigners in Britain plotting acts of violence overseas had the right to stay, if they could successfully argue they would be persecuted if they were expelled back home.

The United States already bars such groups as al-Jihad, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam.

Home Secretary Jack Straw said the new legislation, which was being introduced on Monday, strengthened civil liberties as well as increasing police powers to clamp down on terrorism.

He denied that moves to outlaw groups using Britain as a base for terrorist action abroad could be seen as anti-Islamic, saying he was one of the government's leading campaigners against 'Islamophobia.'

Although he would not say which particular groups could be proscribed under the new powers, he insisted the legislation would not be used to silence all protest.

"In this country we have a very clear tradition by which people are fully entitled to engage in all kinds of peaceful, sometimes very noisy, protest," Straw told the BBC.

"They are not, and almost everybody accepts this, entitled to engage in seeking to disrupt the way our democracy operates by violence or threats of violence."

One reason for introducing the new law was to strengthen the position of individuals by making the law comply with the new Human Rights Act, he said.

The effects of cyber-terrorism, should a computer hacker gain access to water or power systems or vital services such as hospitals, could be worse than a bomb, he said.

However, the leader of the Muslim Parliament, Dr Ghayasauddin Siddiqui, said many British Asians would feel intimidated by the new laws.

Pakistanis campaigning for self-determination in Kashmir would feel they were being discriminated against, for example.

There had to be a distinction drawn between freedom fighters and terrorists so that people could feel sure they would not be intimidated for acting to end human rights abuses, he said.

Civil rights organisations are also concerned about the wide-reaching powers the act gives the authorities.

Liberty, an independent human rights organisation which works to defend and extend rights and freedoms in England and Wales, said in a statement: "We recognise the importance of counteracting terrorism, however we believe the definition of 'terrorism' in the Bill is much too widely drawn, and will provide a two-tier system of criminal justice.

"Liberty does not condone breaking the law, nor do we believe that motivation should be a factor in deciding what type of justice you receive.

"We also believe that the powers given to the authorities in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, are more than sufficient to deal with the criminal activities described under in the Bill."

Liberty says under the new act people suspected of terrorist offences would have fewer rights than other criminals.

It adds: "Surely it is wrong in principle to have a twin-track criminal justice system. It is also difficult to accept that those motivated by political or religious factors when they commit crimes should be penalised for the motives behind their crimes.

"There is a diversity of views about the morality of damaging property to prevent a new road scheme or making threats of violence to try and halt experimentation on animals, but there is no logic to a system that assumes that those suspected of such offences should have fewer rights than a person who assaults another for revenge or for greed."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Home Office
Human Rights - White Paper
Human Rights Watch World Report 2001: United Kingdom / Northern Ireland:Human Rights Developments
UK Parliament - Bills before Parliament
Liberty
Amnesty International On-line

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