UK: Amnesty petitions PM not to extend pre-charge detention as select committee joins chorus of dissent

As the Home Affairs Select Committee released its report today opposing an extension to pre-charge detention limits, Amnesty International UK urged people to sign its new “Not a Day Longer” e-petition calling on the government not to extend the time for which police can hold terrorism suspects without charge.

The petition is on the No.10 website at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/notadaylonger

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

“The consensus against extending pre-charge detention limits is growing day by day.

“We’re seeing that people are ready to fight to preserve basic human rights in the UK. They quite rightly recognise that locking people up for six weeks without charge is totally excessive.

“The government has failed to make a convincing case for this draconian proposal and should abandon it as soon as possible.”

Proposals to further extend pre-charge detention limits have been criticised widely. The list of those who have spoken out includes Lord Goldsmith (former Attorney General), Stella Rimington (former MI5 Chief), Sir Ken Macdonald (Director of Public Prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service) and Lord Woolf (former Lord Chief Justice).

• join the facebook group opposing extended pre charge detention /li>