Het conceptwetsvoorstel voorkoming, opsporing en vervolging van terroristische misdrijven: terrorisme bestrijding door marginalisering strafvorderlijke waarborgen

In an advise written for a Dutch Working Group of criminal lawyers, the author criticizes the draft proposal for a law on the prevention, pursuit, and prosecution of terrorist crimes (‘voorkoming, opsporing en vervolging van terroristische misdrijven’) including extended powers for law enforcement authorities. These proposed new powers include:

+ detention of suspects even if there are no strong objections against this person;

+ to keep information from the investigation confidential for maximum two years by postponing the criminal session;

+ introduction of preventive investigation;

+ extension of investigative powers;

The most important objection against the new proposed measures is, according to Van Kempen, that they are not necessary in the fight against terrorism and they lack sufficient guarantees for the legal protection of individuals. Van Kempen recognizes that anti terrorism measures sometimes require the breach of human rights and liberties, however these breaches should only occur with regard to severe terrorist crimes.

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Van Kempen