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Antiterror body pushes for completion of law revision
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Corm. Gen. Suhardi Alius is sworn in as chief of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) at the State Palace on Wednesday, July 20. (Antara Foto/yudhi Mahatma)
T
he National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) urged on Thursday for the revision of the 2003 Terrorism Law to be immediately finalized to aid its initiatives to curb the spread of terrorism and radicalism.
The law is important because it will be the legal basis of optimizing deradicalization programs, including further collaboration among related government institutions under the Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Ministry, said BNPT chief Com. Gen. Suhardi Alius.
"The dissemination of radical teachings keeps continuing through various channels. Our children and families [are susceptible] and thus the revision should ideally be completed soon," Suhardi said, adding that the bill should also accommodate the public's concerns.
Deradicalization programs should not only target terrorist convicts, but also cover former militants' families who had been exposed to radical ideology in order to integrate them back into society, Suhardi said.
“So that is more comprehensively covers all stakeholders, the antiterror bill should also contain articles that regulate rehabilitation and compensation for victims of terror attacks,” he stressed.
The deliberations of the Terrorism Law revision continue to proceed sluggishly at the House of Representatives as human rights activists have expressed concerns about several proposed-articles that they say could lead to rights violations, including the involvement of the Indonesian Military in fighting terrorism. (bbn)
