3 research outputs found
Anti-terrorism laws in the Maghreb countries: the mirror of a transition that never was
This article sheds light on the counter-terrorism measures enacted by the
Maghreb countries, with a comparative approach of the laws in Algeria,
Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. Carried out by comparing the Arabic and
French original versions, the analysis revealed a common attitude that
tended to preserve national security at the expenses of civil freedoms and
human rights. In almost all cases, anti-terrorism laws strayed away from
their supposed initial finality, fighting terrorism, tackling other issues such
as the maintenance of public order or indirectly the control of dissidence
and political opposition, with no or scarce legal checks and balances that
could restrict possible police or judiciary abuses towards civil and political
rights. The legal measures significantly delayed both the first transition to
democracyin the region in the 2000s as well as the promising development
after the 'Arab spring