Three men have won a unanimous ruling from Britain’s highest court that strikes a massive blow to the “control orders” regime for detaining terror suspects.
A rare panel of nine law lords allowed an appeal by three terror suspects on the grounds that they did not know what they were accused of and secret evidence was used against them.
The strongly-worded ruling, hailed as “historic” by human rights groups, means that many of the 17 terror suspects now held under the controversial orders will have to have their cases re-examined.
One of the law lords, Lord Hope of Craighead, said: “If the rule of law is to mean anything, it is in cases such as these that the court must stand by principle. It must insist that the person affected be told what is alleged against him.”
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Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, said he was “disappointed” but made clear that the Government would contest each case vigorously.
He said: “This is an extremely disappointing judgment. Protecting the public is my top priority and this judgment makes that task harder. Nevertheless, the Government will continue to take all steps we can to manage the threat presented by terrorism.”
He said that all control orders would remain in force for the time being, adding: “We will continue to seek to uphold them in the courts. In the meantime we will consider this judgment and our options carefully.
