France: New counter-terrorism bill introduced

On 25 October, the Interior Minister presented to the cabinet an anti-terrorism bill which would, among other matters, increase prison sentences for convicted terrorists, grant counter-terrorism officials greater access to airline passenger lists, drivers’ licenses, passports and identity card information, broaden the use of surveillance cameras and require telephone operators to keep records for at least one year. The proposed law would also allow the authorities to withdraw French nationality from naturalized citizens who commit terrorist acts, acts “incompatible with the quality of being French” or acts that endanger the national interest.