a
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Proposed amendments to the Spanish criminal code that would expand
the range of crimes defined as “terrorism” to include vague language and
overly broad categories of offences would infringe people’s basic human
rights, said Amnesty International ahead of a parliamentary debate
today.
“The proposed definition of terrorism includes so
many crimes that it is rendered virtually meaningless. The parliament
should reject any proposals that would violate basic rights,” said Julia
Hall, Amnesty International’s expert on counter-terrorism and human
rights.
“It would seem that anything from certain
forms of expression and association to hacking and travelling could be
labelled and prosecuted as terrorism. The suggested definition is overly
broad and some elements so vague that even a seasoned lawyer would have
trouble knowing for certain what would constitute a terrorist act.”
“What
Spain needs to fight terrorism is the exact opposite: an exact and
legally precise definition of what crimes constitute ‘terrorism’.” And
any new measures must be necessary and proportionate to the actual
threat.”
The proposed amendments, if adopted, could
threaten the rights to freedom of expression and association, the
presumption of innocence, freedom of movement, the right to privacy, and
the right to leave and return to one’s country.
“In
the aftermath of the Paris attacks and stepped up counter-terrorism
initiatives across Europe, governments must remain vigilant to ensure
that their efforts to thwart future attacks do not come at the expense
of human rights,” said Julia Hall.
“Respecting human rights is essential to maintaining security and not an obstacle to keeping people safe.”
Among
the numerous amendments up for debate is an expansion of the definition
of terrorism to include acts such as “disruption” of public order;
“resistance” against public authorities and “reckless”, including
unwittingly supporting a terrorist enterprise.
One
new proposal would outlaw travelling, or planning to travel, outside
Spain to collaborate with militant groups or to train with them, even if
no such training occurs or no so-called terrorist act is committed.
Information sharing, including from foreign intelligence services,
raises the prospect of evidence extracted under torture being shared and
used for intelligence purposes.
Making a statement
on social media that could be perceived as inciting others to commit
violent attacks would now also be outlawed in Spain, even if the
statement could not be directly linked to an act of violence.
The
penalties associated with the already existing offence of
“justification” of terrorism, which includes the “humiliation” of
victims of terrorism or their families, would be increased. Aggravating
circumstances would include dissemination of messages across the
Internet or through the media.
Amnesty International
Enllaç noticia :
Cap comentari :
Publica un comentari a l'entrada