International Law

MPs 'will buy' 42-day detention

By John Hirst

"A Home Office minister says he believes plans to extend detention of terror suspects will get through Parliament - saying he thinks MPs "will buy it".

Tony McNulty told the BBC that concerns about the plans to extend the limit on holding suspects without charge from 28 to 42 days were "reasonable".

But the measures were not about locking people up "and throwing away the key", Mr McNulty told BBC Radio 4.

"Once people understand...the temporary nature then people do buy it," he said".

If Tony McNulty thinks that 6 weeks in prison is a temporary measure, then perhaps he would not mind sampling some of it himself? It is ridiculous to suggest that Parliament should vote on the issue every time an extension is sought to detain terrorist suspects beyond 28 days. This would be a waste of Parliamentary time. Just like this plan to seek an unnecessary extension to a period of detention which is already too long as it is.

Growing opposition to terror law

"An imperative legal change to confront the growing threat of terrorism, or an unnecessary attack on the fundamental principles of the law?".

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on April 14, 2008 (boomark / email).