Terrorism law revs up criticisms

Vague and broad, critics say new law makes every citizen a likely terrorist A new terrorism bill which critics says will sentence anyone from street protesters to violent terrorists to death is being attacked by politicians and union leaders across the country as an assault on basic freedoms.

The draft law was voted by the National Assembly on Thursday and upheld in Senate on Sunday. President Paul Biya is now expected to sign the bill – which requires no supplementary texts of application – into law in the coming days. Parliamentary minority group the Social Democratic Front (SDF) walked out on the bill in both chambers and called it “ill-intended”. It punishes a wide range of offenses with the death penalty.

“This law, which seeks to suppress acts of terrorist movements or organizations and their members, accomplices and accessories lacks definition and makes every citizen a potential terrorist,” said SDF group leader Joseph Banadzem in a statement.

“Either in its lack of reflection or its ill-intended move, the government has rather geared its objective to muzzle the press, open up avenues to curb opposition activities, give blanket check to administrative and judicial authorities.”

Cameroon is facing terrorism threats from the Nigerian armed group Boko Haram and increasing instability along its eastern border with the Central African region. The planned law seeks to respond such threats, said the minister of justice, Laurent Esso.

The bill describes activities that “disrupt the normal functioning of public services, the delivery of essential services to the public or create a crisis situation among the public; or create widespread insurrection in the country” as acts of terrorism punishable by the death sentence.

“The president has certainly learned from the lessons coming from Burkina Faso. A similar uprising here will sweep his failed presidency under the carpet,” Maurtice Kamto, former minister and national chairman of the opposition Movement for the Revival of Cameroon (MRC) party.

Esso defended the bill, which has also been criticized as open to broad interpretations.

“We have no reason to doubt the competence and capacity of the judicial power that is responsible for interpreting this law,” he told the National Assembly. Every law is vulnerable to multiple interpretations he said.

The Cameroon Bar Council was meeting to take a position of the bill, which is almost certain to become law, and is expected to announce its position on Monday.