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afrol News, 15 February - The President of Mauritius, Cassam Uteem, has resigned. Uteem, who holds a representative office, was not willing to sign the new and controversial Anti-terrorist Bill, which the opposition and human rights groups find too rigid. Uteem's resignation is a novelty on wealthy and politically stable Mauritius. The island has been democratically ruled for decades and does not have severe human rights problems, although Amnesty International claims it has "received many allegations of torture or ill-treatment of persons under police custody, including some resulting in deaths." Ex-President Uteem agrees the new law could threaten the human rights situation on the island. The Mauritian opposition claims the rights of suspects would be endangered by the new anti-terrorist law. Its parliamentarians thus walked out of the National Assembly when the legislation fist was discussed on 4 February, and the law was passed. President Uteem however refused to sign the law and sent it back to Parliament for further discussions. A second debate on the law was held at a specially convened session on Thursday, and it was approved again. Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth and his government, holding real powers on the islands, strongly favour the law. President Uteem, who was to leave his office in June this year, today left his office as he still refused to sign the law. Vice-President Angidi Chettiar will succeed him. It remains uncertain whether Chettiar is willing to sign the controversial law. The anti-terrorism law gives the police ample rights to detain suspects. Given the alleged history of torture by the Mauritian police, the human rights group Amnesty strongly has opposed the new law. Amnesty on Wednesday stated it was "concerned that most of the provisions of the bill are too broad and fall short of international standards of fairness." The definition of offences described as "acts of terrorism" may be broadly interpreted to undermine the fundamental rights of the people.
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