It’s with considerable relief that I am noticing a trend: The so called “war on terror” is no longer a carte blanche as far as limitations of civil liberties are concerned. Increasingly there is a very critical discussion of new, or already existing laws, that curb civil liberties as they undermine the very thing they are meant to protect: rule of law.
Anti-terror measures worldwide have seriously undermined international human rights law, a report by legal experts says. Via BBC
But don’t just listen to an international group of legal experts, listen to the former head of the British Security Service MI5:
Dame Stella Rimington, the former head of MI5, has accused the Government of exploiting public fear of terrorism to restrict civil liberties.
Her comments came on the same day as a report published by international jurists suggested that Britain and America have led other countries in “actively undermining” the rule of law and “threatening civil liberties” in the guise of fighting terrorism.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, Dame Stella said that a series of increasingly draconian policies have led British citizens to “live in fear and under a police state”.
The 73-year-old said: “Since I have retired I feel more at liberty to be against certain decisions of the Government, especially the attempt to pass laws which interfere with people's privacy.
“It would be better that the Government recognised that there are risks, rather than frightening people in order to be able to pass laws which restrict civil liberties, precisely one of the objects of terrorism: that we live in fear and under a police state.”
Dame Stella, who became the first female head of MI5 in 1992 and held the position until 1996, has long been a vocal critic of the Government's plans to introduce ID cards and lengthen the amount of time terror suspects are held without charge to 42 days. In the interview yesterday, she also criticised the United States. Via The Independent
If you still question what Dame Stella is talking about, consider the law that came into effect earlier this week that could land you into prison for 10 years if you take photos at demonstrations or other public events at which police happens to be present. This also means you can forget about taking photos of illegal arrests as the police now has the right to arrest photographers:
A new British anti-terrorism law went into effect Monday that could effectively bar photographers from taking pictures of police or military personnel — a move that prompted some 200 photographers to protest outside of Scotland Yard's headquarters.
(…) Photographers who refuse to stop taking pictures after a warning face arrest, up to 10 years in prison or unspecified fines. Via AP
Still a long way to go to reverse the limitations of civil rights, but at least a critical discussion is now taking place that has been sorely lacking for far too long.
