Terror Law Targets The 'Little Hands' (France)

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 8-3-2005 | Colin Randall

[blam]

Terror law targets the 'little hands'

By Colin Randall in Paris
(Filed: 03/08/2005)

France's move against supporters and perpetrators of terrorism gathered pace yesterday with plans to stiffen prison terms for those involved at any level in preparing attacks.

Pascal Clément, the justice minister, wants the French parliament to approve amendments to existing law to allow even minor participants in terrorism to be accused of "criminal conspiracy to commit a terrorist crime".

The maximum sentence would be 15 years' imprisonment, compared with the present highest term of 10 years for associating with terrorists or involvement in the direction of terrorism.

Mr Clément's strengthening of the judicial armoury is particularly aimed at the "little hands" providing intermediary assistance - accommodation, finance or mobile phones - for suicide bombers.

The justice minister outlined his package to toughen the judicial consequences of providing support to terrorists after Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister, announced that a dozen Islamist radicals would be summarily deported before the end of this month for preaching anti-western hatred and violence.

Mr Sarkozy's measures have been compared favourably with what is seen as a less robust approach by the British authorities in the treatment of terrorism suspects - especially those wanted in France - and extremists who openly indulge in violent rhetoric.

By contrast, the French justice system does not have a high sentencing culture. Some French magistrates and anti-terrorist specialists -complain that the law is too kind to those playing smaller but important roles in planning and executing bombings.

One magistrate said that Zacarias Moussaoui, the French national who could be sentenced to death in America for his involvement with the September 11 hijackers even though he was arrested before the atrocities, would currently risk no more than a 10-year sentence in France.

[dennisw]

PARIS - French prisoners are often overwhelmingly Muslim, with many inmates converting to Islam while behind bars, an expert told a French newspaper yesterday.
Muslims often account for over half the population of many French prisons, while penitentiaries close to rough suburbs could have up to 80 percent Muslim inmates, Fahrad Khosrokhavar, a French author and academic, was quoted as saying in Le Figaro newspaper yesterday.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/001540.php

[ken5050]

FRance deports Imams preaching terror in about one week...pick 'em up and ship 'em out..The US and GB could learn a few things from the frogs in this regard..