Amnesty criticises UK terrorism laws

Amnesty International has criticised the government's anti-terrorism laws, claiming that they have led to serious human rights abuses.

In the report, 'United Kingdom - Human Rights: A Broken Promise', the human rights campaign group accused the UK government of passing a series of laws since September 11 that contain provisions that contravene human rights laws. Amnesty said that the implementation of this legislation had led to "serious abuses of human rights" and also threatened the independence of the judiciary.

The group said that the Terrorism Bill, which is currently before Parliament, would undermine the rights to freedom of expression, association, liberty and fair trial, if it were implemented.

Amnesty also accused the government of trying to undermine the prohibition of torture, by seeking to deport people they had labelled as suspected international terrorists and national security threats, to countries where they could face torture or ill treatment.

It criticised the government's Memorandums of Understanding - diplomatic assurances with countries such as Jordan, Libya and Lebanon that suspects sent back to those countries would not face torture - calling them a "dangerous circumvention of international law".

Amnesty said that the UK's policies and actions were effectively sending a "green light" to other governments to abuse human rights.

However, Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer, said that the government had always complied with human rights principles. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme, he said: "It is unfortunate that an organisation of Amnesty's standard is in effect attacking our values when what they are really doing is saying "You are being too tough in relation to the stances you are taking within human rights law."

(KMcA/GB)