Canada officially declares Taliban, Haqqanis terrorists

[The Bread Guy]

It took this long?

More than a decade after going to war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Canadian government has officially declared them a terrorist group.

The Taliban has been added to the so-called list of entities, along with the Haqqani network, an Islamist group believed to be behind ongoing attacks on international coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Both were added by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews earlier this month, bringing to 46 the number of groups on the terrorist list, which was set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Any person or group on that list can have their assets seized, and criminal penalties exist for assisting so-called listed entities with the aim of helping them carry out extremist activities.

Canada had effectively barred Canadian institutions from doing business with the Taliban in 1999, when it signed on to the al-Qaeda Sanctions List developed by the United Nations.

The addition of the Taliban to Canada's own list makes Canada the first NATO country to use domestic law to outlaw the group, said Julie Carmichael, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews ....

The Canadian Press, 15 May 13

The Honourable Vic Toews, Canada's Minister of Public Safety, today announced that the Government of Canada has listed the Haqqani Network and the Taliban as terrorist groups, under the Criminal Code.

(....)

The decision to list the Haqqani Network and the Taliban meets the legal threshold set out in the Criminal Code, which requires the existence of reasonable grounds to believe that the entity has knowingly participated in or facilitated a terrorist activity or is knowingly acting on behalf of, at the direction of, or in association with such an entity.

The listing process requires extensive analysis of security and/or criminal information and intelligence to ensure that the decision to list meets the legal threshold.

While it is not a crime to be a member of a listed entity, under the Criminal Code, any person or group listed may have their assets seized and forfeited.  There may be severe penalties for persons and organizations that deal in the property or finances of a listed entity.  In addition, it is a crime to knowingly participate in, or contribute to, any activity of a listed entity for the purpose of enhancing the ability of the entity to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity.  This offence and other related offences are set out, in full, in the Criminal Code ....

Public Safety Info-machine, 15 May 13

 

[cupper]

Out in front, leading the way. :facepalm:

 

[rmc_wannabe]

So all those nice people who lobbed rockets at me are terrorists now  ??? ? Who would have guessed. It's always the people you least suspect  :