House passes law on definition of a terrorist organisation

BY A close vote, parliament last night passed a law on combating terrorism and defining a terrorist organization.

The bill passed with 22 votes in favour from DISY, DIKO and European Party deputies, while 19 MPs from AKEL and socialists EDEK voted against. The Greens abstained.

The law specifies what constitutes a terrorist group according to the definition and list of terrorist organisations compiled by the European Council. It also stipulates terrorist offences and subsequent penalties.

It defines a terrorist group as “a group of two or more persons which has been established and operates for a specific amount of time with the purpose of committing terrorist acts.”

The Council Framework Decision on combating terrorism was agreed on June 13, 2002, following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

As passed yesterday, the law includes an amendment that bars the government from “executing discretionary powers to freely name any entity or group of persons as a terrorist organisation” other than as specified by the EU.

Some of the organisations on the EU terrorist list include: CIRA (Continuity Irish Republican Army); E.T.A (Basque Fatherland and Liberty); G.R.A.P.O (the First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Group); Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassam (terrorist wing of Hamas); LVF (Loyalist Volunteer Force) and PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad).

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