Terrorism Act 2000
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The Terrorism Act 2000 is a current United Kingdom Act of Parliament - "An Act to make provision about terrorism; and to make temporary provision for Northern Ireland about the prosecution and punishment of certain offences, the preservation of peace and the maintenance of order."
It supersedes and repeals the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996.
Up to early 2004 around 500 people are believed to have been arrested under the Act, seven people have been officially charged.
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Definition of terrorism
Terrorism is defined, in the first section of the Act, as follows:
- section 1. -
- (1) In this Act "terrorism" means the use or threat of action where-
- (a) the action falls within subsection (2),
- (b) the use or threat is designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public or a section of the public, and
- (c) the use or threat is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause.
- (2) Action falls within this subsection if it-
- (a) involves serious violence against a person,
- (b) involves serious damage to property,
- (c) endangers a person's life, other than that of the person committing the action,
- (d) creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or a section of the public, or
- (e) is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system.
- (3) The use or threat of action falling within subsection (2) which involves the use of firearms or explosives is terrorism whether or not subsection (1)(b) is satisfied.
Section 1 goes on to give the Act worldwide scope:
- an "action" can be anywhere in the world,
- "the government" is that of any country, not just the UK, and
- "the public" is the public of any country.
List of proscribed groups
Under the act, the Secretary of State may modify the list of proscribed groups by his order if he believes that an organization is "concerned in terrorism". Such an organization is defined as an organization that "commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes or encourages terrorism, or is otherwise concerned in terrorism."
International groups
The secretary of state's list proscribes a number of international organisations, the majority due to accusations connected with Islamic fundamentalism. The list as of January 2005 is:
- 17 November Revolutionary Organisation (N17)
- Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO)
- Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)
- Al-Gama'at al-Islamiya (GI)
- Al Qaida
- Armed Islamic Group (Groupe Islamique Armée) (GIA)
- Asbat Al-Ansar ('League of Parisans' or 'Band of Helpers')
- Babbar Khalsa (BK)
- Basque Homeland and Liberty (Euskadi ta Askatasuna) (ETA)
- Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ)
- Hamas Izz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades
- Harakat Mujahideen (HM)
- Hizballah External Security Organisation
- International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)
- Islamic Army of Aden (IAA)
- Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)
- Jaish e Mohammed (JeM)
- Jeemah Islamiyah (JI)
- Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan) (PKK)
- Lashkar e Tayyaba (LT)
- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
- Mujaheddin e Khalq (MeK)
- Palestinian Islamic Jihad - Shaqaqi (PIJ)
- Revolutionary Peoples' Liberation Party - Front (Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Partisi - Cephesi) (DHKP-C)
- Salafist Group for Call and Combat (Groupe Salafiste pour la Predication et le Combat) (GSPC)
source: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/terrorism/threat/groups/
Domestic
A number of armed groups are also proscribed due to accusations arising from The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The list as of January 2005 is:
- Continuity Army Council (CAC)
- Cumann na mBan
- Fianna na hEireann
- Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)
- Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO)
- Irish Republican Army (IRA) which covers the Provisional IRA (PIRA), Official IRA, 'Real' IRA (RIRA) and Continuity IRA (CIRA), each of which claims the name IRA
- Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF)
- Orange Volunteers
- Red Hand Commando
- Red Hand Defenders
- Saor Eire
- Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
- Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
- Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
source: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/terrorism/threat/groups/
Related topics
See also:
- Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
- Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005
- Human rights in the United Kingdom
External links
- Official text of the Terrorism Act 2000 (http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000011.htm)