France widens counter-terrorism measures
France approved legislation on 25 May that will give authorities increased policing powers. Among the new measures are greater powers to detain terrorism suspects, place individuals under house arrest, employ surveillance techniques, and use deadly force to stop terrorist acts. This represents the last in a number of legislative changes that the government has pushed through since the November 2015 terrorist attacks on Paris. However, the legislation has not been without controversy. Some members of the judiciary and rights groups have argued that the government is looking to institutionalise the exception measures that came into effect with the state of emergency that followed the attacks on the capital.

The French Parliament on Wednesday approved a law that gives the police and judicial authorities new powers to detain terrorism suspects, put people under house arrest and use deadly force to stop attacks.

The Senate, France’s upper house of Parliament, approved the bill by a show of hands. The National Assembly, the lower house, had already approved it.

The measure is the latest in a series of legislative changes that the government of President François Hollande has pushed through to give the authorities greater policing powers after the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris last year, sometimes prompting debates over civil liberties.

Here is a summary of new powers introduced by the law, and other recent changes and proposals designed to increase the authorities’ antiterrorism powers.