UK: Serious Flaws in Prevention of Terrorism Bill

The control orders envisioned in the Prevention of Terrorism Bill 2005 (hereafter “the Bill”) offer a seriously flawed alternative to the disastrous policy of indefinite detention under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, a policy ruled contrary to human rights law by the House of Lords Judicial Committee. Human Rights Watch acknowledges that the government has a responsibility to protect the public from the threat of terrorism. However, the government has a corresponding duty to ensure that counter-terrorism measures are fully compatible with its obligations under human rights law.