UK: Control orders unlawful: Amnesty reaction

Amnesty International today (12 April) reacted to a High Court declaration that the Government's anti-terror laws are "incompatible" with human rights laws.

Amnesty International UK Campaigns Director Tim Hancock said:

“The High Court is entirely right to insist that everyone in the UK issued with a Control Order must have a fair hearing – and that this right is denied by the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

“The Act gives the Home Secretary the power to place massive restrictions on people’s liberty, without charge or trial, based on secret evidence that they cannot see and cannot refute.

“If someone is suspected of a crime, they should be charged and given a fair trial. Depriving them of their liberty on the basis of secret evidence is not an alternative.”