September 2002

Amnesty International is deeply concerned about serious human rights violations that have taken place as a consequence of the United Kingdom (UK) authorities’ response to the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States of America (USA). This document focuses on the human rights violations that those detained in the aftermath of the events of 11 September 2001 have suffered. Among others, these violations include:

• detention of non-UK nationals for unspecified and potentially unlimited duration, without charge or trial, under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA);

• conditions of detention amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in high security prisons in the UK of those detained under the ATCSA or under the Terrorism Act 2000 or on the basis of warrants for extradition to the USA;

• denial of the opportunity to challenge, in a fair procedure, any decision taken under the ATCSA which negatively affects people’s status or rights as recognized refugees or asylum-seekers in the UK;

• the UK authorities’ neglect of their obligation under domestic and international law to make representations to the US authorities to ensure that the human rights of their nationals currently detained, without charge or trial or judicial review, for an unspecified period of time, potentially of unlimited duration, at the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, be respected. These UK nationals have been denied access to legal counsel, including during questioning by both US and UK intelligence officers, and may be at risk of being subjected to unfair trial proceedings as a result of which they could be convicted and sentenced to the death penalty.

Details:  http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/EUR450192002?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES/UK

UK: Detaining non-UK nationals indefinitely is discriminatory, http:// web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/EUR450142002

UK: Government in the dock for indefinite detention without charge or trial, http:// web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/EUR450122002

UK: Concern over anti-terrorist arrests,  http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/ EUR450282001

UK: Rushed legislation opens door to human rights violations, http:// web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/EUR450272001

UK: A shadow criminal justice system is unacceptable,  http://web.amnesty.org/ ai.nsf/recent/EUR450202001

FULL 25 PAGE REPORT (rtf file):
 http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/sep/AIREP.RTF

Also see UK News Release: Conditions of Detention of 'Security' Detainees Are Unacceptable
 http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/2002/uk09052002.html