– fordi tiden kræver et MODSPIL

15. Jul 2007

Habeas, schmabeas

 
I Storbritannien foreslår politiet nu, at de får lov til at spærre terrormistænkte inde på ubestemt tid uden sigtelse, skriver The Observer:
One of Britain's most senior police officers has demanded a return to a form of internment, with the power to lock up terror suspects indefinitely without charge.

The proposal, put forward by the head of the Association of Police Chief Officers (Acpo) and supported by Scotland Yard, is highly controversial. An earlier plan to extend the amount of time suspects can be held without charge to 90 days led to Tony Blair's first Commons defeat as Prime Minister. Eventually, the government was forced to compromise on 28 days, a period which Gordon Brown has already said he wants to extend...

The proposal has provoked anger among civil rights groups. 'It is coming to the point when we have to ask serious questions about the role of Acpo in a constitutional democracy,' said Shami Chakrabarti, director of the civil rights group Liberty. 'We elect politicians to determine legislation and we expect chief constables to uphold the rule of law, not campaign for internment.' Internment was last used in Britain during the Gulf war against Iraqis suspected of links to Saddam Hussein's army. It has also been used against terrorist suspects in Northern Ireland and Germans during the Second World War.
Bemærk den allerede fremhævede nøglesætning: Without charge. Hvorfor skulle politiet dog ikke fremsætte nogen sigtelse?

Svar: Fordi der ikke er grundlag for nogen sigtelse. Habeas Corpus, et af de vigtigste principper i den angelsaksiske retspleje (også kendt som kravet på at få en anholdelse prøvet for en domstol), bliver skyllet ned i samme lokum, som gav os Guantanamo.

Hvis man kan tilbageholde folk på ubestemt tid uden at rejse sigtelse - hvem er det så lige præcis, der risikerer at blive tilbageholdt?

Svar - hvem som helst. Politiet behøver jo ikke fremlægge nogen beviser for, hvorfor den pågældende er mistænkt. Hvis dette forslag bliver gennemført, er det mildt sagt ikke godt for retssikkerheden.

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