Georgetown: The released Select Committee’s report on the Cyber Crime bill of 2016 has raised tremendous criticism over offences of sedition.
But the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon says persons must view this section as part of the entire suite of measures being put in place under this bill.
The cybercrime bill spent two years in a Special Select Committee chaired by the Attorney General, Basil Williams, where it was amended.
When sections of the amended bill were made public, persons took to social media expressing concerns and fears over several clauses.
They referred to the clause in relation to “sedition”, which is defined as conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.
Clause 18 of the bill states “a person commits an offense of sedition if the person, whether in or out of Guyana, intentionally publishes, transmits or circulates by use of a computer system, a statement or words, either spoken or written, a text, video, image, sign, visible representation, or other thing , that-
- A) Brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in Guyana.
Responding to questions about the implications of clause 18, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon indicated that it should not be viewed in isolation.
“I believe that what is happening is that the debate or the conversation, it’s taking the section out of the act and trying to discuss it on its own. We must understand that the section must be seen as part of the entire suite of measures that are being put in place under this bill that will eventually become an act,” Harmon said.
The Guyana Press Association previously voiced concerns and called for the “deletion of offending sections in the Cybercrime Bill that could result in further entrenchment of criminal defamation.”
This is referring to the possibility of prosecution of journalists who publish information that was made available to them by way of leakages or hacking.
The Cybercrime Bill 2016 provides for the creation of offences related to cybercrimes, such as child pornography, hacking, identity theft and cyber bullying, as well as related penalties.
It covers a wide range of areas including illegal access to a computer system, illegal interception of data, illegal data interference, illegal acquisition of data, and illegal system interference.
Penalties for these offences are a fine of $3 million and imprisonment for three years upon summary conviction and on conviction on indictment, a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for five years.
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