Wednesday 1 October 2008

European Human Rights Concerns Over 42 Day Detention

The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has said that holding suspects without charge for 42 days in inadequately equipped police cells is a "considerable concern". They have after visiting the high security police cells at Paddington Green called for such suspects to be transferred to prison for further detention.

So now not only would a suspect be considered guilty until proven innocent they may also be innocent and detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure because the police are incapable of providing pre-charge facilities up to the task of long term detention. The cells at Paddington Green the prime centre for detention and questioning of terror suspect while passed as clean by the CPT, were "a very austere environment" with "minimal access to natural light" and limited exercise facilities.

Aside from the fact that we now have one of the most draconian terror suspect detention without charge regimes in the world, we are also not able to cope with the maximum period Labour legislated to detain people for adequately, assuming innocence until proven otherwise. After the 14 day period now elapses these suspects will find themselves housed in prisons.

No comments:

Post a Comment