The Wire

On the Wire yesterday, we took a look at the latest annual Amnesty report, which was very critical of the West’s crack down on civil liberties, following the War on Terror. Now, it looks like the British government could also face criticism in a report due to be released this week. In recent years, the Blair Government has been accused of increasingly eroding the civil rights of its citizens in the name of the War on Terror. And in January this year the British government passed the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act. Despite its shaky hold on power since the May election, this has not stopped proposals for further legislation that would increase the state’s control over its citizens. These include the proposed introduction of Id Cards, which would hold biometric information, and the Serious Organized Crime and Police Bill that makes trespassing on designated sites a criminal rather than civil offence. Now a leaked report from the Council of Europe, due to be officially released later this week, strongly criticizes the Prevention of Terrorism Act which, under “control orders” has the power to subject suspects to virtual house arrest. Human rights group, Liberty, has watched the increasing number of laws passed in the name of terrorism prevention, with growing dismay. Ahead of the report’s release, Vari McGee, a spokesperson for Liberty, outlined the organization’s concerns to Erica Vowles.