Tunisian lawmakers begin debate on new 'anti-terror' bill
Tunisian lawmakers have begun a three-day debate on a new "anti-terrorism" bill which aims to tackle the growing militancy across the North African country.
The latest version of the bill went before the lawmakers on Wednesday after winning the backing of the president and the parliament's largest factions.
President Beji Caid Essebsi's Nidaa Tounes and Islamic Ennahda party have also thrown their weight behind the bill.
Sources say the measure will grant special powers to the police and army to contain violence and terrorism.
However, rights organization, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have already voiced concern, saying the latest bill fails to adequately safeguard the rights of defendants and could undermine freedoms.
The developments come nearly a month after a deadly terrorist attack on June 26 near the country’s coastal city of Sousse claimed the lives of nearly 40 people, mostly foreign tourists. The fatal assault was claimed by the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group, which is mainly operating in Iraq and Syria.
In early July, Prime Minister Habib Essid's government also declared a state of emergency to curb the militancy. The premier, in a recent interview, acknowledged that security forces had taken too long to respond to the attack at the beach resort of Port El Kantaoui near Sousse.
The deadly shooting rampage followed a March attack claimed by ISIL on the Bardo National Museum in the capital, Tunis, which killed over 20 foreign tourists and a policeman.
Terrorist attacks have seriously damaged Tunisia’s economy, which is heavily dependent on the tourism industry.
An earlier state of emergency in Tunisia was lifted in March 2014. It had been in force since former Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in a 2011 popular uprising.
Tunisia has come up with several drafts of legislation to deal with "the fight against terrorism and money laundering" since the 2011 revolution. However, the previous bills have failed to reach parliament due to lack of consensus among the political groups.
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