Asio torture warning: fears new powers will allow suspects to be harmed
Source: Guardian
Asio torture warning: fears new powers will allow suspects to be harmed
theguardian.com, Friday 19 September 2014 00.24 EDT
The government has been urged to drop legislation that would give greater anti-terrorism powers to Asio, with an independent senator and lawyers warning that it would allow suspects to be tortured with impunity.
A NSW senator, David Leyonhjelm, said he had received legal advice that the national security legislation amendment bill would allow intelligence officials to inflict physical and psychological harm on terrorism suspects.
Section 35K of the bill, entitled “Immunity from liability for special intelligence conduct during special intelligence operations”, exempts operatives from civil or criminal prosecution in the course of their work.
This exemption from the law would only apply, the bill states, if “the conduct does not involve the participant engaging in any conduct that causes the death of, or serious injury to, any person; or involves the commission of a sexual offence against any person; or causes significant loss of, or serious damage to, property”.
Leyonhjelm said this left open a “huge range” of things that Asio operatives could do to suspects.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/19/asio-torture-warning-fears-new-powers-will-allow-suspects-to-be-harmed
