Ken Clarke defends secret courts plans after Nick Clegg criticisms – The Guardian

“The justice secretary, Ken Clarke, has defended proposals to create a new generation of secret courts in the face of criticism from Nick Clegg and parliament’s human rights committee, saying the plans will make the system more accountable and more conducive to intelligence sharing with other countries.”

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The Guardian, 4th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Secret trials: ‘explore alternatives’ – Law Society’s Gazette

“Government proposals to extend the use of secret hearings in cases where evidence might compromise national security are a radical departure from the UK’s ‘traditions of open justice and fairness’, MPs and peers said today.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 4th April 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Secret justice: do we have a compromise? – UK Human Rights Blog

“The Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights has now responded to the Government’s consultation on the proposals set out in their Justice and Security Green Paper Cm 8194. The idea is to extend ‘closed material procedures’ so as to be available in all civil proceedings, i.e. not just in some highly restricted national security contexts such as deportation appeals before SIAC (the Special Immigration Appeals Commission), control orders, and their successor regime known as TPIMs.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 4th April 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Damning verdict on ill-thought-out secret justice proposals – The Guardian

“Parliament’s joint committee on human rights (JCHR) has produced a unanimous report on the government’s justice and security green paper that is as precise and persuasive as the green paper itself is unfocussed and unconvincing.”

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The Guardian, 4th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

David Anderson QC backs closed hearings in some national security cases – The Guardian

Posted March 21st, 2012 in closed material, intelligence services, news, private hearings, terrorism by sally

“The independent reviewer of terrorism legislation has said there is a ‘small but indeterminate category of national security-related claims’ in which a closed hearing would be preferable to existing court procedures.”

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The Guardian, 21st March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Secret courts condemned – a threat to liberty and justice? – Legal Week

Posted March 13th, 2012 in closed material, criminal justice, news, private hearings, terrorism by sally

“Until this week, reaction to the Government’s green paper on ‘Justice and Security’ has been muted. It has taken the form of detailed and reasoned submissions and has tended to come mainly from organisations and individuals with a legal background. Writing on the UK Human Rights Blog, barrister Adam Wagner, somewhat despairingly, referred to the ‘sound of tumbleweed greeting secret civil trials proposals’.”

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Legal Week, 13th March 2012

Source: www.legalweek.com

Secrecy for torture evidence – analysis – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted March 8th, 2012 in anonymity, closed material, evidence, news, torture, tribunals, witnesses by sally

“As we reported in our summary of the decision earlier, the Supreme Court has confirmed that the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) has the power to order that certain witness evidence may be produced in conditions of absolute and irreversible secrecy.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 8th March 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Witness allowed to give secret evidence of torture in Algeria says Supreme Court – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted March 8th, 2012 in anonymity, appeals, closed material, evidence, news, tribunals, witnesses by sally

“The court is entitled to make an order for a witness to give evidence before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in such a way that the identity of the witness and the substance of the evidence remains confidential.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th March 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Ken Clarke unsettled by criticism of secret courts plan – The Guardian

“The justice secretary, Ken Clarke, has admitted to being ‘unsettled’ by criticism from lawyers about his plans for extending secret courts.”

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The Guardian, 6th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Secret civil court hearings ‘would put government above the law’ – The Guardian

Posted March 6th, 2012 in civil justice, closed material, news, private hearings, terrorism by sally

“Extending secret hearings into civil courts will undermine effective scrutiny of government operations in the ‘war on terror’, according to prominent civil liberties activists and lawyers.”

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The Guardian, 6th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Clarke attempts to quell concerns over secret court hearings – The Independent

Posted March 6th, 2012 in closed material, news, private hearings by sally

“Kenneth Clarke has attempted to quell growing concerns over proposals to hold more court hearings in secret by saying the measure will only apply to a ‘tiny’ number of civil cases in ‘very limited circumstances’.”

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The Independent, 6th March 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ministry of Justice sounds warning over secret hearings – The Guardian

Posted March 5th, 2012 in civil justice, closed material, news, terrorism, trials by tracey

“Introducing secret hearings into civil courts could backfire, leading to more claimants accessing sensitive information, according to the government’s own impact assessment of its justice and security green paper. Expanding the use of so-called ‘closed material proceedings’ (CMPs) may also result in jurors finding the vetting procedure intrusive, and in ‘resentment of the judicial process and unwillingness to participate in jury service’, the Ministry of Justice’s study warns.”

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The Guardian, 4th March 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Secret court procedures could damage UK’s reputation, critics claim – The Guardian

Posted February 17th, 2012 in civil justice, closed material, criminal justice, news, private hearings by sally

“The UK’s reputation as a ‘free and fair democracy’ could be damaged by excessive use of secret court procedures that the government aims to introduce, Northamptonshire police has warned.”

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The Guardian, 16th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Human rights abuses could be covered up under new justice bill proposals – The Guardian

Posted February 13th, 2012 in closed material, human rights, intelligence services, news, torture by sally

“Ministers and the intelligence services will be able to cover up sensitive information relating to the state’s complicity in torture and secret rendition, under controversial plans likely to be included in the Queen’s Speech in May.”

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The Guardian, 11th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

More secret trials? No thanks – UK Human Rights Blog

“A child learns early that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it. Thankfully that principle does not apply to Government consultations and this is aptly demonstrated by the responses to the consultation into whether ‘closed material’ (secret evidence) procedures should be extended to civil trials.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 31st January 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Government warned over secret hearings – The Guardian

Posted January 25th, 2012 in closed material, evidence, human rights, intelligence services, news, trials by sally

“The expansion of secret hearings into the civil courts, proposed by the government as a means of protecting national security, will deprive individuals of the right to a fair trial, a parliamentary select committee has been warned.”

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The Guardian, 24th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ken Clarke warned plan to curb open justice is flawed – The Guardian

Posted January 9th, 2012 in closed material, costs, investigatory powers, news, tribunals by tracey

“Britain’s most secretive court has warned the government that plans to restrict open justice in sensitive civil claims cases are seriously flawed and likely to incur excessive costs. Criticising the central thrust of Ken Clarke’s justice and security green paper, judges and members of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal say proposals for expanding ‘closed material procedures’ into other courts have not been thought through sufficiently.”

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The Guardian, 8th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Extension of secret hearings would be “fundamentally unfair”, say Special Advocates – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted January 6th, 2012 in closed material, evidence, news, private hearings by tracey

“Government proposals to increase the number of court hearings held in secret, and in which parties can only see minimal evidence relied upon by the court, have been severely criticised by the ‘Special Advocates’ who play the central role in closed hearings.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 5th January 2012

Source: http://ukhumanrightsblog.com

Tariq v Home Office (JUSTICE and another intervening) – WLR Daily

Tariq v Home Office (JUSTICE and another intervening) [2011] UKSC 35; [2011] WLR (D) 229

“The closed material procedure provided in the statutory scheme established for employment tribunals was in principle compatible with European Union law and article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, as scheduled to the Human Rights Act 1998.”

WLR Daily, 13th July 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Al Rawi and others v Security Service and others (Liberty and others intervening) – WLR Daily

Al Rawi and others v Security Service and others (Liberty and others intervening) [2011] UKSC 34; [2011] WLR (D) 228

“It was for Parliament, if it so decided, and not for the courts, to introduce a closed material procedure to replace the existing process developed by the common law for dealing with claims to public interest immunity in an ordinary civil claim for damages.”

WLR Daily, 13th July 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk