Anti-Terrorism Act an instrument for persecuting Political Opponents

Opposition parties including the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and Adhaalath Party continue to condemn in the strongest terms the steamrolling by government and ratification on 28 October a new Anti-Terrorism Act, being seen as an instrument for intimidation and persecution of political opponents.

Among the many concerns are that the definition of who constitutes a terrorist group is left to President Yaameen Abdul Gayoom, with the power to include or exclude groups from the State’s terror list.Other undefined provisions include speech that could be viewed as pro-terrorism with punishments of 10 to 15 year prison sentences against would-be offenders and those reporting such expression through broadcast television or radio.

Another alarming and dubious stipulation is the undefined ‘exertion of undue influence on the government or state’ as acts of terror.

The MDP proposed 11 amendments to the bill that would rule out certain activities and actions as not falling under the category of terrorism, but none were passed.

The new Act unlawfully restricts individual liberties such as the right to remain silent and the opportunity for an accused’s lawyers to converse privately with the client, as the new law stipulates that such meetings can take place only in the presence of a Police officer during the first 96 hours of remand.

The Act extends wide-ranging powers to Police including searching the accused person and property along with monitoring their communications, or placing ‘surveillance’ devices in their residences. The Home Minister is vested by this Act with the right to deem ‘persons dangerous to society’ and demand Court warrants for monitoring and control. The Home Minister is also vested with the authority to pronounce “suspects as needing rehabilitation”.

Home Minister Umar Naseer admitted that the new Anti-Terrorism Law was indeed a dangerous weapon against the opposition when he publicly likened it (in a Tweet) to a ‘kitchen knife that could kill but also could be used for cutting vegetables’ adding that the government would not abuse it.