UK Terror Detentions Unlawful

Quashing orders against six men - one British citizen and five Iraqis referred to only by initials - he told the High Court in London: "The [Home Secretary] had no power to make the orders and they must therefore all be quashed." Control orders were introduced in April last year after the courts rejected post-September 11 emergency powers allowing police to imprison suspected foreign terrorists indefinitely without trial. The measures - which give the Home Office the power to severely restrict the lifestyles of terror suspects, including placing them under conditions akin to house arrest - were steered onto the statute book days before the last general election. It is believed that 14 control orders have since been imposed. The orders - which also allow the use of electronic tagging, the confiscation of passports and a ban on associating with other named suspects - can remain in force for up to 12 months before being reviewed by the Home Secretary. The powers were drafted to circumvent European Convention rules which state that a country may not deprive someone of their liberty without a trial unless it first declares an emergency and "derogates" - or departs from - the preservation of basic human rights. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17129-2247622,00.html [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on June 30, 2006]

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