“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“Controversial powers to hold court cases in secret have been used to conceal the possible involvement of British intelligence agents in apprehending terror suspects in Africa.”
Daily Telegraph, 27th June 2012
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Plans to extend secret court hearings address genuine problems of national security but also contain elements of “overkill”, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation has warned.”
The Guardian, 19th June 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Britain is facing a wave of compensation claims for allegedly helping the US target drones strikes abroad, the terror watchdog warned yesterday.”
Daily Telegraph, 20th June 2012
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The terrorism laws watchdog says controversial plans for more secrecy in British courts can be made to work.”
BBC News, 19th June 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Plans for secret hearings in civil courts being put before parliament on Tuesday ‘offend the principle of open justice’, a prominent Conservative MP has warned the government.”
The Guardian, 18th June 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Ministers will still be able to dictate whether court cases are heard in secret despite assurances that judges would have the final say, a group of expert lawyers have warned.”
Daily Telegraph, 15th June 2012
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“In the first of a new series Joshua Rozenberg talks to Sir Daniel Bethlehem the former principal legal advisor at the Foreign Office. He asks him about the changing face of international law and its effect on the making of foreign policy, including the rise in litigation against the government on foreign matters. He also asks about international law and the use of drones, and the government’s Justice and Security bill and why Sir Daniel thinks the measures laid out there are necessary.”
BBC Law in Action, 5th June 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“In stark contrast to the pageantry surrounding the Royal Jubilee, here is a somewhat sombre update on the Justice and Security Bill, which was published on 28 May 2012 and is currently receiving its second reading in the House of Lords. The Bill aims to introduce Close Material Procedures, that is secret hearings, into civil trials.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 5th June 2012
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
“Publishing the Justice and Security Bill this morning, the Secretary of State for Justice said ‘I have used the last few months to listen to the concerns of … civil liberties campaigners with whom I usually agree.’ There are many people who today would sorely like to agree that Ken has listened and has taken their concerns on board. Unfortunately, the Government’s analysis remains fundamentally flawed. The Green Paper was clearly a ‘big ask’. There have undoubtedly been significant changes made from the proposals in the Green Paper. However, the secret justice proposals in the Justice and Security Bill remain fundamentally unfair, unnecessary and unjustified.”
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
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