Activist Rights

Incitement, sedition and “advocating” terrorism

Estimated reading: 1 minute

There are a number of complex measures relating to incitement and sedition. This would limit people’s ability to speak openly about any armed conflict in the world, if it includes Australia or Australia’s allies. For example, if a person said that “Iraqis have the right to resist the occupation of Iraq by Western occupiers,” this statement could be considered seditious and would carry a sentence of up to 7 years.

Furthermore an organisation that adopted a stance such as the above, would be considered to be “advocating terrorism”. Advocating terrorism is defined as “praising the doing of a terrorist act”, “directly or indirectly counselling or urging the doing of a terrorist act, or directly or indirectly providing instructions on the doing of a terrorist act”.

If that is the case, the organisation can be proscribed, which carries with it many offences. For example, being an informal member of such an organisation would carry a sentence of 10 years.

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