“Secret court hearings should protect only the identity of UK intelligence officers, their sources and security material provided by foreign allies, a critical parliamentary report warns.”
The Guardian, 13th November 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Seven fresh claims for damages involving highly sensitive national security evidence have been made in the past year, the government has revealed. Three cases have been settled confidentially.”
The Guardian, 12th November 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Civil liberties groups are being too ‘simplistic’ and purist in their opposition to the government’s justice and security bill, Ken Clarke has said.”
The Guardian, 2nd November 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The government’s plans for a new generation of secret courts faced a fresh setback on Wednesday when its own human rights watchdog warned the proposals could be incompatible with the law”
The Guardian, 31st October 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Government plans to extend the use of secret hearings in courts are not compatible with the Human Rights Act, the equalities watchdog has said.”
The Independent, 31st October 2012
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“Clarke insists that under the justice and security bill nothing currently heard in open court would be moved to closed court.”
The Guardian, 26th October 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Two men accused of being part of a ‘prolific extremist network’ have lost their appeal against control orders.”
BBC News, 19th October 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The US government and its intelligence agencies were influential in the UK government decision to introduce a highly controversial new generation of secret courts, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation has told MPs and peers.”
The Guardian, 16th October 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The government’s plans for a substantial extension of the use of secret evidence in the justice system have been heavily criticised in a new Amnesty International report published today”
Amnesty International, 15th October 2012
Source: www.amnesty.org.uk
“The Liberal Democrat leadership suffered an embarrassing defeat last night as activists rejected Government plans to allow some courts to sit in private to hear evidence relating to national security.”
The Independent, 26th September 2012
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“Tomorrow (25 September), Liberal Democrats will debate the Justice and Security Bill and will vote on saying no to the Government’s controversial secret courts proposals. Played in the press as a good opportunity to put clear blue water between the coalition partners, the motion will give a party members a chance to speak out on a Bill which many see as an anathema to the traditional liberal commitment to open, fair and equal access to justice.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 24th September 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
“The government has admitted that a key motive for its plan to expand secret courts is to shield itself politically from charges that Britain has been complicit in the abuse of detainees abroad.”
The Guardian, 24th September 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Is the justice and security bill a threat to fundamental legal liberties or a necessary veil to protect state secrets? Here’s what you need to know about the expansion of trials behind closed courtroom doors.”
The Guardian, 25th September 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Ken Clarke has blamed Tony Blair’s ‘disastrous war on terror’ for the need to introduce secret courts to protect sensitive intelligence material.”
The Guardian, 19th September 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Related link: The justice and security bill is on the right track
“The government’s plan to establish a new generation of secret courts has sparked fresh controversy after it emerged that the fact that a hearing is to be held behind closed doors may itself be kept secret.”
The Guardian, 19th August 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Suspects could be detained in prison without knowing the reasons if the ancient writ of habeas corpus is trumped by government plans for secret courts, according to civil liberties campaigners.”
The Guardian, 13th July 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Last night saw the latest round of Lords debate on the Justice and Security Bill. It should be required reading for the Secretary of State. Peers from all benches challenged the Government’s case for the breadth of reform proposed in the Bill. A number of amendments have been tabled jointly in the names of members of the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Lords Constitution Committee, both Committees having already castigated the Government’s proposals as potentially harmful to the common law principles of open, adversarial and equal justice.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 12th July 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
“As the House of Lords prepares for the Report Stage of the Justice and Security Bill, the Chairman of the Bar Council, Michael Todd QC, has condemned the Government’s planned extensions to the use of Closed Material Proceedings (CMPs), endorsing the arguments of Liberty, Reprieve and the Special Advocates who participate in these proceedings.”
The Bar Council, 9th July 2012
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“National security doesn’t mean we should jettison our proud tradition of fair trials – peers must oppose this bill.”
The Guardian, 9th July 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Key safeguards supposedly built into proposals for extending secret hearings in civil courts have either been ‘misunderstood or misrepresented’ by the government, a parliamentary committee has been warned.”
The Guardian, 26th June 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
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