Law Lords Decision Should Mean End Of Detention Without Trial

1.48.56pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 16th Dec 2004

Today's ruling by the Law Lords that foreign terror suspects cannot be held without trial has been welcomed by, Liz Lynne MEP who sits on the Human Rights Committee in the European Parliament.

The Liberal Democrat MEP said that the European Convention on Human Rights should not be something a democratic Government should want to opt out of and urged new Home Secretary Charles Clarke to remove the law established by his predecessor.

She said:

"This decision should mean the end to the detention of people without trial at Belmarsh prison. This is a major blow to the government's attempts to use the fear of terrorism to erode civil liberties in the UK.

"I hope the government will now accept the ruling so the men at Belmarsh Prison, who are suffering from deteriorating mental health, can either be released or charged. We cannot preach to other countries about their human rights record when we deny people basic human rights in our own country.

"In total 17 men have been detained without trial using these powers. Eight of them have been held in small cells 22 hours a day for three years. None have been charged, and according to Amnesty International there is inadequate health care, restricted access to legal advice, to the outside world and to practising their religion. If British prisoners were held like this in Sadaam's Iraq the British Government would have been outraged."

Notes to editors:

Under these powers: 17 men arrest in total, 11 still detained, 2 have left the country,2 released without charge , 1 released on bail and 1 who is suffering from a mental illness has been detained under house arrest.

ENDS