Al-Rawi: Sedition review can’t be simplistic

ANY review of sedition laws must take into account any given country’s unique constellation of laws, AG Al-Rawi told Newsday on Tuesday. “This isn’t for an unsophisticated mind. You have to do your homework.”

He said he had not seen a letter to the Prime Minister by the International Centre for Trade Union Rights calling for a review of the Sedition Act following the arrest of THA minority leader Watson Duke.

Al-Rawi said the Government has done a comparative study of the sedition laws of a host of Commonwealth countries including those in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia plus the UK and TT.

He said that in reviewing sedition laws, three related issues must also be considered.

These include firstly whether hate-speech laws exist. Secondly, each country has its own rules of evidence, including differences as to whether a law court can draw an adverse inference from a suspect who opts to stay silent.

Thirdly, does the country have cyber crime legislation, as he noted TT has been unable to pass such legislation after it came to Parliament nine years ago. “So it is not comparing apples and oranges,” he remarked. Al-Rawi said Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar had been wrong to say the Sedition Act can be repealed because adequate other laws exist to replace it. He said Law Reform Commission has made submissions, in addition to the Commonwealth review. “We are looking at it.”

The AG said any review of sedition legislation must ask what are they replacing it with, and under what circumstances was it dropped.