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MPs give police more ability to act in terror cases
Nearly three-quarters of MPs backed a bill that will allow police officers to continue to use some counter-terrorism powers once the state of emergency expires © AFP
France’s parliament has voted overwhelmingly to convert a number of emergency police powers into permanent laws as the country grapples with a homegrown terrorist threat.
A bill backed by nearly three-quarters of MPs on Tuesday will allow police officers to continue to use some powers once the state of emergency expires in November. It was implemented by former president François Hollande after 130 people were killed in terror attacks in Paris in November 2015.
Some judges, lawyers and human rights organisations have criticised the move, saying it enshrines infringements of civil liberties, targets Muslims and will lead to more police mistakes.
Gérard Collomb, interior minister, said on Tuesday that France was “still in a situation of war”.
“I have heard sometimes that some of those controls are against liberties. No, they are useful,” he said.
The bill gives police the right to restrict the whereabouts of terror suspects without judicial approval and shut down places of worship if they are deemed by intelligence services to be encouraging terrorism.
Police will also be able to raid homes and other places on terrorism grounds after getting a judge’s approval. Officers will be able to do so based on intelligence reports that would not necessarily be enough evidence to open a judicial probe.
Such powers largely mirror those granted under the state of emergency, which has been extended six times since being enacted nearly two years ago.
The law’s approval comes during a heightened terror alert after a series of unprecedented attacks by Islamist extremists that has claimed 239 lives in France since 2015. At the weekend two women were fatally stabbed by a Tunisian national in Marseille and explosive devices were found in a building in Paris.
The legislation marks a change of tack by president Emmanuel Macron, who had backed a parliamentary report published in December concluding that the state of emergency had produced only modest results.
During his presidential campaign Mr Macron said recent laws beefing up powers for anti-terror judges and the intelligence services were enough to tackle terrorism.
More than 4,300 raids, 439 house arrests and 16 closures of mosques have been carried out under the state of emergency, producing 20 prosecutions.
https://www.ft.com/content/6b68aa54-a850-11e7-93c5-648314d2c72c
@Nilgiri
Nearly three-quarters of MPs backed a bill that will allow police officers to continue to use some counter-terrorism powers once the state of emergency expires © AFP
France’s parliament has voted overwhelmingly to convert a number of emergency police powers into permanent laws as the country grapples with a homegrown terrorist threat.
A bill backed by nearly three-quarters of MPs on Tuesday will allow police officers to continue to use some powers once the state of emergency expires in November. It was implemented by former president François Hollande after 130 people were killed in terror attacks in Paris in November 2015.
Some judges, lawyers and human rights organisations have criticised the move, saying it enshrines infringements of civil liberties, targets Muslims and will lead to more police mistakes.
Gérard Collomb, interior minister, said on Tuesday that France was “still in a situation of war”.
“I have heard sometimes that some of those controls are against liberties. No, they are useful,” he said.
The bill gives police the right to restrict the whereabouts of terror suspects without judicial approval and shut down places of worship if they are deemed by intelligence services to be encouraging terrorism.
Police will also be able to raid homes and other places on terrorism grounds after getting a judge’s approval. Officers will be able to do so based on intelligence reports that would not necessarily be enough evidence to open a judicial probe.
Such powers largely mirror those granted under the state of emergency, which has been extended six times since being enacted nearly two years ago.
The law’s approval comes during a heightened terror alert after a series of unprecedented attacks by Islamist extremists that has claimed 239 lives in France since 2015. At the weekend two women were fatally stabbed by a Tunisian national in Marseille and explosive devices were found in a building in Paris.
The legislation marks a change of tack by president Emmanuel Macron, who had backed a parliamentary report published in December concluding that the state of emergency had produced only modest results.
During his presidential campaign Mr Macron said recent laws beefing up powers for anti-terror judges and the intelligence services were enough to tackle terrorism.
More than 4,300 raids, 439 house arrests and 16 closures of mosques have been carried out under the state of emergency, producing 20 prosecutions.
https://www.ft.com/content/6b68aa54-a850-11e7-93c5-648314d2c72c
@Nilgiri
