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Human rights groups await Lords decision
http://www.bbfans.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=22742		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Madeline [ 17 Oct 05, 13:07 ]
Post subject:  Human rights groups await Lords decision

Lords to rule on 'torture' appeal

The men were detained under the 2001 Anti-Terrorism Act
The Law Lords are deciding whether Britain can use evidence against terror suspects that may have been obtained by torture in other countries.

Last year, the Court of Appeal ruled it was unreasonable for the government to check all its evidence in case another country had mistreated detainees.

But 10 men are challenging that ruling and say they have been held on evidence obtained by torture at Guantanamo Bay.

Human rights groups are urging seven Law Lords to overturn the ruling.

The Court of Appeal said last August that the government had acted legally by detaining the 10 terror suspects without charge.


As the government chips away at human rights protections we all risk losing the liberties that form the core of British values
Shami Chakrabarti,
Liberty

The men, who were held at Belmarsh high security prison in London, had challenged a decision made by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission that the government was right to hold them.

They were detained under the 2001 Anti-Terrorism and Security Act, which came into force after the 11 September attacks on the US.

Lawyers for the men will argue in the Lords that the Appeal Court ruling was in breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights prohibiting torture or degrading treatment.

Lord Carlile, a QC and Liberal Democrat peer appointed by the government to review its anti terrorism legislation, said he felt the use of evidence possibly obtained by torture should be "proportional and not fixed".

That meant material relating to major crimes, rather than lower level ones, may be considered.

"The bottom line is that the UK must be committed against torture," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'Absolutely wrong'

"I don't think it is hypocritical to take action which is likely to have the effect of saving possibly dozens or hundreds of lives," he said.

"One cannot have a total exclusionary rule.

"What one must have, however, is the highest of standards to ensure that the British authorities are never complicit in torture."

Campaigners from 14 human rights groups will attend the Lords' hearing to speak against the ruling.


If we did say it was OK, the message to the rest of the world would be an absolutely appalling one
Kate Allen
Amnesty International
Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said: "As the government chips away at human rights protections we all risk losing the liberties that form the core of British values.

"How can a democratic government plead the case against torture perpetrated by terrorists or dictators if they indulge in the complicity of reliance upon its product?"

And Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said: "The UK must not accept the unacceptable."

She said torture was "absolutely wrong", adding: "If we did say it was OK, the message to the rest of the world would be an absolutely appalling one."

War on terror

Ms Allen also said information provided under torture was often unreliable.

Campaigners will also stage a demonstration outside Parliament on Monday, and will sign a statement calling for the UK to respect human rights.

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said it would not comment on a case currently before the House of Lords.

"We will consider the judgment once it has been delivered," she added.

Last week, the Lord Chancellor said the war on terror did not allow Britain to turn a blind eye to torture.

Ministers are seeking guarantees from countries including Jordan, Egypt and Algeria that suspects would not be tortured or killed if they were extradited from the UK.

BBC
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