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Kenya Opposition Party Challenges Anti-Terrorism Law

Kenya Opposition Party Challenges Anti-Terrorism Law

Written by Edith Honan | From Reuters

Kenya’s opposition coalition filed a court challenge on Tuesday to overturn new anti-terrorism laws it says are hasty and undermine basic freedoms.

The measures will allow suspects to be held without charge for 360 days, four times longer than before, compel landlords to provide information about their tenants, and punish media that print material “likely to cause fear or alarm.”

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who championed the amendments, has faced pressure to boost security after a spate of deadly Islamist attacks over the past 18 months.

Somali militant group al Shabaab, which massacred 67 people in a Nairobi shopping mall last year, killed more than 60 in two attacks this month in northeastern Kenya.

The government says the new rules compare favourably with U.S. laws enacted after 9/11. Opposition leaders say they threaten civil liberties and free speech, and might unfairly target the minority Muslim population. It was not clear how long the High Court would take to consider their challenge.

Read more at Reuters