The
French parliament has approved a new controversial anti-terrorism
law, replacing the soon-to-expire two-year state of emergency. The
new legislation has prompted fears it will severely limit civil
liberties.
The
French senate approved the new anti-terrorism law on its second
reading on Wednesday. The new law, set to increase law enforcement
powers in the fight against terrorism, was supported by 244 senators,
with only 22 voting against it. The bill was overwhelmingly approved
by the lower chamber of parliament earlier in October.
The
state of emergency was imposed in France to combat terrorism in the
wake of the deadly 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, and has been
extended six times since. It is set to finally expire on November 1.
Its key
points include allowing the authorities to search homes of those
suspected of terrorist links, while holding them for up to four hours
and seizing data, items and documents. It also allows the authorities
to confine suspects to their town or city for up to a year and have
them report to police every day. Any movement beyond that requires
them to wear a tracking bracelet.
Top
regional officials will be allowed to shut down places of worship for
up to six months, if they deem preachers have incited attacks or
glorified terrorism. This can be done without any hard proof obtained
by police, but simply on the basis of "ideas and theories"
shared by the preachers’ devotees.
Police
are also granted the authority to stop and search people at
vulnerable areas such as borders, train stations and airports.
Ahead of
the parliamentary vote, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted 500
law enforcement officers including police, gendarmes, prefects, and
other officials at the Elysees Palace. Macron defended the new law
and mulled a new nationwide anti-radicalization plan. “The first
mission of the state is to protect our fellow citizens and ensure the
security of the territory... We have to adapt our organization, our
action,” he said.
The plan
includes hiring 10,000 more police officers and gendarmes, as well as
supplying them with technology suitable for the “smartphone era.”
He also promised to implement stricter measures to more efficiently
deport migrants with “no legal right” to stay in France.
“We
don’t welcome people well, our procedures are too long, we don’t
integrate people properly and neither do we send enough people back,”
Macron told the law enforcement officers.
The
new anti-terrorism law has repeatedly drawn concern over human rights
issues. UN human rights experts urged France to comply with "its
international human rights obligations," worrying the bill
would "incorporate into ordinary law several restrictions on
civil liberties currently in place under France’s state of
emergency."
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