Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act 1996 (AEDPA)

Summary

Landmark US counter-terrorism statute creating the FTO designation framework, the material support prohibition, and restricting habeas corpus review. Enacted partly in response to the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing. Forms the foundational architecture on which post-9/11 statutes built.

Relevance to the diaspora

AEDPA established the legal framework that led directly to the LTTE's 1997 FTO designation, which remains in force; Tamil-Americans have faced prosecution and deportation proceedings under statutes originating in AEDPA.

Key provisions

• Title III — International Terrorism prohibitions
• §302 — FTO designation framework (codified at 8 USC §1189)
• §303 — prohibition on providing material support (codified at 18 USC §2339A)
• §304 — prohibition on fundraising for designated organisations

Primary source

Related entries

• → 8 U.S.C. § 1189 — Foreign Terrorist Organisation Designation (US)
• → 18 U.S.C. §§ 2339A & 2339B — Material Support to Terrorism (US)