New Ethiopia law may criminalise opposition: group

By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A draft Ethiopian law could define criticism of the government as a "terrorist act" and be used to crack down on the opposition if it is passed by parliament, a rights group said on Tuesday.

The draft "anti-terrorism proclamation" was drawn up after Africa's second most populous country said it faced threats from several internal rebel groups.

A group of 32 mostly former and serving military officers are on trial accused of planning to topple the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

"As drafted, the law could provide a new and potent tool for suppressing political opposition and independent criticism of government policy," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

"It could turn political speech and peaceful protest into terrorist acts."

The law would classify acts that cause serious damage to property or disruption of a public service as terrorism. It would also criminalise speech that may be interpreted as "encouraging terrorism".

Human Rights Watch urged legislators to redraft the bill.

Ethiopian government head of information, Bereket Simon, said the New York-based group had misinterpreted the law.