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Afghanistan

The 2004 Constitution and a dedicated 2008 law prohibit terrorism. Capital punishment may be imposed for certain terrorist offences. The takeover by the Taliban in August 2021 has fuelled fears of a resurgence of international terrorism from Afghanistan. In 1999, the Taliban was designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations Security Council in its Resolution 1267, as a result of providing a safe haven for terrorists, including Osama bin Laden.    

View Last updated one year ago

Albania

Albania criminalizes terrorist acts in its Criminal Code, including the financing of terrorism, the incitement of terrorist acts, and the recruiting and training of people to commit terrorist acts. It also criminalizes the creation of armed mobs to oppose public order but explicitly excludes strikes and assemblies from the purview of terrorist offences in the Criminal Code.

View Last updated one year ago

Algeria

Algeria defines terrorism in exceptionally broad terms in its national criminal law, potentially making the exercise of the right of assembly a criminal offence. The law has been used to prosecute human rights defenders, journalists, and peaceful activists.

View Last updated one year ago

Andorra

There have been no terrorist incidents in Andorra, which has a robust legal framework for terrorist offences, which are laid down in the Criminal Code. There is no carve-out for the exercise of fundamental human rights. A specific law on the financing of terrorism was adopted in 2017.

View Last updated one year ago

Angola

Angola has adhered to few terrorism treaties at global and regional level. Its 2020 Constitution, however, pledges international cooperation to tackle terrorism while laws in 2014 (revised in 2020) and 2017 prohibit terrorist financing and terrorism, respectively, prescribing a range of terms of imprisonment depending on the offence. The Penal Code of 2020 defines terrorism as criminal acts aimed at provoking a state of terror in the general public or in a group of people. There is a specific carve-out for the exercise of fundamental human rights in the 2017 counterterrorism law.

View Last updated one year ago

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda has dedicated legislation on terrorism adopted in 2005 and amended in 2020. The law provides explicit exceptions for strikes and demonstrations except where they create a serious risk to the health or safety of the public. 

View Last updated one year ago

Argentina

Argentina has dedicated legislation criminalizing terrorism from 2000. More recently, the Penal Code has been amended to tighten restrictions on financing that may be used for terrorism. Any criminal offence in the Code is considered terrorism when it is perpetrated with the specified motivation: either to terrorize the population or to compel government conduct.

View Last updated one year ago

Armenia

Armenia criminalizes terrorism in its Penal Code, defined as criminal acts intended to violate public security, intimidate the population, or exert pressure on decision making by a State official. There is no carve-out in the counterterrorism legislation for the exercise of fundamental human rights.

View Last updated one year ago

Australia

Australia has detailed anti-terrorism legislation in its Criminal Code. The exercise of certain fundamental rights, including to freedom of assembly, are exempted from the definition of a terrorist act.

View Last updated 11 months ago

Austria

Austria has comprehensive legislation in place for the prosecution of terrorist offences. Amendments to the criminal law in 2021 are alleged to have put at risk respect for the rights to freedom of religion, expression, and association.

View Last updated one year ago

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has detailed counterterrorism legislation with a broad definition of terrorism.

View Last updated one year ago

Bahamas

The Bahamas adopted a new and detailed anti-terrorism law in 2018. The law establishes a detailed list of terrorist offences where the purpose of the crime is to intimidate the public or coerce government conduct. There is no carve-out for the exercise of fundamental human rights. 

View Last updated about 12 months ago