The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has recommended the Federal government consider listing Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation.
The PJCIS today tabled its report on the Review of the re-listing of Hizballah’s External Security Organisation as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code.
While the committee supported the relisting of Hizballah’s External Security Organisation (ESO) under the Criminal Code it has also recommended that the government consider expanding the listing to include the whole organisation of Hizballah.
Committee Chair Senator James Paterson, said that the committee is supportive of the government’s decision to relist Hizballah’s ESO but is concerned that Australia is falling behind its Five Eyes partners and many other countries. The US, Canada and more recently the UK have listed the entire Hizballah organisation as a terrorist group while New Zealand has proscribed Hizballah’s military wing as a terrorist group.
“The evidence provided to the committee was overwhelmingly supportive of proscribing Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation, rather than only the ESO. On the strength of this evidence, the committee thinks it’s time for the government to consider expanding the listing as all of our Five Eyes partners have done,” Senator Paterson said.
Deputy Chair Mr Anthony Byrne MP concurred, “It’s clear that the distinction drawn between the ESO and the rest of Hizballah is arbitrary, and in the committee’s judgement, not something Australia should persist with.”
Further information on the inquiry as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the Committee’s website.
