The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has commenced a review of the listing of Ansar Allah as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Criminal Code).
Ansar Allah, also referred to as the Huthi or Houthi movement, is a Zaydi Shia violent extremist organisation based in Yemen. Since its formation in the early 1990s, Ansar Allah has evolved from a religiously motivated organisation to an organisation with political and military motivations. Ansar Allah has conducted numerous violent terrorist attacks between 2022 and 2024 directed at Yemeni government forces, civilians, foreign states and foreign owned vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Ansar Allah’s listing by the Australian Government in May 2024 is the first time it has been designated as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code.
Listing Ansar Allah as a terrorist organisation triggers the application of a number of offences under the Criminal Code relating to membership of, support for, or association with the organisation.
Section 102.1A of the Criminal Code provides that the Committee may review listings of terrorist organisations and report its findings to each house of Parliament within the 15 sitting day disallowance period.
Members of the public are invited to make submissions to this review by 12 July 2024.
