Amnesty International has written to members of parliament to draw attention to its concerns about the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 1995 soon to be discussed in Parliament. There is concern that many provisions which violate human rights standards and were formerly contained in the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) have been retained in the Criminal Law Amendment Bill. These include provisions which could lead to the arrest and detention of people who have not knowingly abetted “terrorist” activities; the prosecution of people for the exercise of their right to freedom of expression and the possibility of the imposition of the death penalty for certain “terrorist” acts. The Bill also contravenes essential safeguards for a fair trial. Amnesty International is calling on Parliament to ensure that international human rights standards are taken into account in the framing and passing of the new legislation.
