The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has commenced a review of the relisting of the following five organisations as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code:
- Al-Shabaab, a Somali militant group affiliated with al-Qa’ida that aims to establish an Islamic state in Somalia based on Islamic law, and to eliminate foreign ‘infidel’ influence;
- Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which seek to establish a Palestinian Islamist state comprising Gaza, the West Bank and Israel;
- Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish nationalist movement that calls for autonomy for Kurds within Turkey and the right to maintain a Kurdish ethnic identity;
- Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a Pakistan-based Sunni extremist organisation that aims to unite Indian administered Kashmir with Pakistan under a radical interpretation of Islamic law; and
- Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Sunni Islamist organisation committed to the destruction of the state of Israel.
The Government proscribed all five organisations on 4 August 2018.
Under section 102.1A of the Criminal Code, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security may review listings of terrorist organisations and report on the Committee’s findings within the 15 sitting day parliamentary disallowance period.
The Committee is currently accepting submissions to this review. Submissions should be provided no later than Tuesday, 31 August 2018.
Further information on each review can be obtained from the Committee’s website.
