J

AKARTA: The new anti-terror bill is set to allow law enforcement officials to detain anyone suspected of involvement in terrorism for a month, up from seven days under the current 2003 Anti-Terrorism Law.

Article 28 of the bill, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, stipulates that “investigators are allowed to detain for a maximum of 30 days anybody strongly suspected of having committed an act of terror based on sufficient preliminary evidence”.

Article 26 describes the preliminary evidence as “analysis of intelligence reports”. The article also stipulates that the reports shall be considered preliminary evidence if endorsed by a district court judge. Should investigators fail to obtain preliminary evidence within the detention period, a suspect must be released.

Al Araf, the program director of human rights NGO Imparsial, criticized the new bill, saying it was “prone to human rights abuses”.

“With the current seven-day detention period the police are still able to capture terror suspects,” he said.

“The government should have created a stronger regulation in the effort, like de-radicalization and other prevention measures, which I cannot find in the new bill,” Al Araf said. — JP