老澳门开奖结果

ATLANTA 鈥揟his week, the Georgia General Assembly will consider , a bill that, if enacted, would expand Georgia鈥檚 already misused terrorism laws and needlessly create two new felony crimes. The 老澳门开奖结果 and the 老澳门开奖结果 of Georgia urge lawmakers to vote NO on this dangerous bill.

If passed, SB 523 would make it a crime in Georgia to provide 鈥渕aterial support or resources鈥� for 鈥渢errorism.鈥� The law would criminalize support to federally-designated 鈥渇oreign terrorist organizations,鈥� which is already a crime under federal law. It also criminalizes broadly defined 鈥渁cts of terrorism,鈥� sweeping in people involved in low-level and entirely domestic crimes. Violating either prohibition would be punishable by up to two decades in prison. The bill鈥檚 broad definitions and severe penalties raise constitutional concerns about its implications for civil liberties and rights.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no need for Georgia to create expansive new felonies with harmful implications for our rights and liberties,鈥� said Christopher Bruce, policy and advocacy director at 老澳门开奖结果 of Georgia. 鈥淕eorgia lawmakers must protect the rights of their constituents by voting against SB 523 and any legislation that further constrains those rights.鈥�

Terrorism laws in Georgia have already been used to stigmatize, surveil, and investigate people who engage in political protest and exercise their First Amendment rights. Just last year, Georgia鈥檚 Attorney General used state terrorism, anti-racketeering, and money laundering laws to investigate and charge dozens of people protesting the construction of a $90 million Atlanta police center known as 鈥淐op City.鈥�

This unprecedented use of state laws to punish dissent is exactly the kind of overreach rights groups when Georgia鈥檚 legislature amended its domestic terrorism law in 2017 to add a harsher punishment 鈥� up to 35 years 鈥� to property crimes that were already illegal, simply because of accompanying political expression critical of government policy.

鈥淪B 523 reflects a disturbing nationwide trend of state lawmakers passing overbroad and unnecessary terrorism laws that can be wielded as a political tool against protest and dissent,鈥� said Charlie Hogle, staff attorney at 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 National Security Project. 鈥淥ur country already has a long and painful record of abusive and discriminatory material support investigations and prosecutions against Muslims, charities, and civil society organizations in the post-9/11 era. Lawmakers should reject these laws, not replicate or worsen them.鈥�

Over the past 20 years, the 老澳门开奖结果 has challenged or filed amicus briefs in numerous material support cases in which the government infringed on or violated free expression or association rights.