UK citizens suspected of involvement in terrorism could face house arrest as part of a series of new measures outlined by the home secretary.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4207295.stm
It comes after law lords ruled that the imprisonment of 12 foreign suspects without trial breaches European human rights laws.
The men have been held, the majority in Belmarsh prison, south-east London, without charge or trial for three years under emergency powers rushed through after the September 11 2001 attacks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1397394,00.html
The Law Lords labelled the current regime "discriminatory" because it only applied to foreign nationals.
Charles Clarke's planned "control orders" mean anyone suspected of being involved in terrorism could be subject to house arrest, curfews or tagging.
British citizens
Under the proposed changes - prompted by the House of Lords ruling - the home secretary could order British citizens or foreign suspects who could not be deported, to face house arrest or other measures such as restrictions on their movements or limits on their use of telephones and the internet.
British citizens are being included in the changes after the law lords said the current powers were discriminatory because they could only be used on foreign suspects.
Mr Clarke also said intelligence reports showed some British nationals were now playing a more significant role in terror threats.
Mr Clarke concluded by saying that prosecutions were the government's first preference and promised the powers would only be used in "serious" cases, with independent scrutiny from judges and that the public had to trust him, Mr Blair and the security services to use the "grave" new powers wisely.
Voices for and Against
Tony Blair has defended proposals to allow UK terror suspects to be placed under house arrest by ministers without their cases going to court.
The prime minister said the measures were needed to fight global terror.
"I pay great attention to the civil liberties of the country. But on the other hand, it is also right that there is a new form of global terrorism in our country, in every other European country and most countries around the world.
"They will cause death and destruction on an unlimited scale and they will and are trying to organise such terrorist activity in our own country. I just hope people get this in perspective."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4211127.stm
However the Law Society dubbed Mr Clarke's new proposals an "abuse of power".
Human rights lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith said the plans were a "further abuse of human rights in Britain".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4207295.stm
Senior lawyers have also criticised the home secretary's plan for a new control order to be imposed on British and foreign terrorist suspects and called on him to think again.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1399401,00.html
Voicing Concerns
Guy Mansfield QC, chairman of the bar, said: "I remain concerned that suspicion is apparently to be sufficient to detain individuals. I would ask parliament to consider this with great care. The proposed control orders should be evaluated on their merits and case by case.
"Disproportionate measures risk radicalising the community from which a detainee comes. That may make this country less rather than more safe."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1399401,00.html
Conservative shadow home secretary David Davis was worried about extending special powers to cover British citizens.
He warned: "Throughout history, internment has generally backfired because of the resentment it creates.
"So unless the process is clearly just, the home secretary could find himself confining one known terrorist only to recruit 10 unknown terrorists."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4207295.stm
Wire Tapping
In related news, there have been calls for the rules for wire-tap and intercept evidence to be allowed to be used in courts but Mr Clarke refused to back that change. He said intercept evidence was only a small part of the case against the men and some of it could not be used because it could put sources' lives at risk.
Human rights lawyers claimed that Charles Clarke's decision amounted to a missed opportunity to enable terrorist suspects to be put on trial.
Justice, the all-party law reform group, said: "If the intelligence services of the United States, France, Israel, Canada and Australia can survive the use of such evidence in their courts, then British spies are surely equal to the challenge."
But Mr Clarke told MPs that view was founded on a misconception - that if only they could use intercept intelligence as evidence in court they would be able to prosecute those detained in Belmarsh and Woodhill prisons.
"All of us need to recognise that it isn't always possible to bring charges given the need to protect highly sensitive sources and techniques," he said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4207295.stm
Read the BBC and Guardians full articles at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4207295.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4211127.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1397394,00.html
Whats your opinion? Post your views on the Messageboard now.
