‘A Somali-born man who spurned MI5 efforts to recruit him as an informant has been found guilty – following a partially secret trial – of preparing to join Islamic State fighters in Syria.’
The Guardian, 13th October 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Can the name of a local councillor who has defaulted on Council tax properly be withheld from disclosure under the exemption for personal data in s.40 FOIA? That was the issue for the Upper Tribunal (“UT”) in Haslam v (1) Information Commissioner (2) Bolton Council [2016] UKUT 0139 (AAC), 10 March 2016. Mr Haslam, a journalist on the Bolton News, had submitted a FOIA request to Bolton Council for disclosure of names of councillors who had received reminders for non-payment of Council tax since May 2011. The Council refused to name names, citing the exemption in s.40 FOIA. The Information Commissioner and First-Tier Tribunal (“FTT”) upheld the Council’s decision. The UT (Judge Markus QC) has now reversed the FTT’s decision, and held that the name of the individual councillor concerned should be released.’
Panopticon, 18th March 2016
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
‘A rule that allows decisions in immigration appeals to be based on undisclosed evidence is not unlawful, the High Court has ruled.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 16th February 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Terrorism has brought many changes in the ways in which we go about our lives. Many of these are quite minor, irritating but generally sensible. The holding of trials where much of the evidence is kept secret is not minor, and in principle must be considered an outrage rather than an irritant. But there are clearly occasions when this has to happen, and it is a great challenge to those who on the one hand have responsibility for preventing terrorism and those on the other hand responsible for ensuring that justice has been done.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 11th February 2016
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Possibly the worst headline I’ve ever written. But before I’m accused of completely failing to perform basic contractual duties, allow me to explain why those seven words are rather important.’
BBC News, 10th February 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The relationship that the British security services forged with Muammar Gaddafi’s regime a decade ago amounted to “a criminal conspiracy with a foreign dictator”, according to evidence before the high court, where a dozen Libyan dissidents who were subsequently targeted by the British authorities are bringing a claim for damages.’
The Guardian, 16th December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen’s Bench Division gave the 13th Annual Isaiah Berlin Lecture in London on 12 November 2015.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 13th November 2015
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
‘Bank Mellat is an Iranian bank, initially subjected to a 2009 order which prohibited anybody in the UK from dealing with it – until the Supreme Court quashed it: here, and my posts here and here. ‘
UK Human Rights Blog, 28th October 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Secret hearings to determine whether suspects should be held without charge during anti-terror investigations are legal, the European court of human rights has ruled.’
The Guardian, 20th October 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The number of official applications for secret court hearings more than doubled in the past year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice.’
The Guardian, 15th October 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘A ruling on whether ‘secret’ evidence from convicted murderer Wang Yam can be heard at the European court of human rights has far wider significance.’
The Guardian, 22nd September 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal has cleared the way for the Government to apply for controversial secret court hearings as it faces being sued for damages by an IRA informant and Iranians subjected to asset freezing orders.’
The Independent, 14th July 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The decisions that led to a terrorism suspect being prosecuted in conditions of almost unprecedented secrecy raise “really difficult constitutional issues” about the independence of prosecutors from government, the head of the judiciary in England and Wales warned on Wednesday.’
The Guardian, 1st July 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The government should address the core allegations of 12 claimants who say they were kidnapped, tortured, subject to control orders or tricked into travelling to Libya where they were detained or mistreated, a high court judge has said.’
The Guardian, 1st July 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘An important principle in the British legal system is that “not only must justice be done, it must also be seen to be done”.’
BBC News, 26th March 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A British law student has been cleared of targeting Tony Blair and his wife Cherie as part of a terrorist plot, following the UK’s first secret terror case.’
The Independent, 26th March 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A man accused of plotting terrorist attacks in London has been convicted of possession of a bomb-making manual.’
The Guardian, 17th November 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The lord chief justice of England and Wales has condemned an attempt to hold a completely secret trial, saying it should never happen again.’
BBC News, 12th November 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The coverage of last week’s Court of Appeal’s decision in Belhadj & Or. v Straw & Ors [2014] EWCA Civ 1394 has thus far generated more political heat than legal light. When a claim involves the suit of named officials and former Ministers for their alleged role in the rendition of a major political figure in the new Libya and his family to face torture under the Gaddafi regime, this is perhaps understandable. In a week where the Government – in the context of this claim – has conceded that it must disclose certain of its policies on surveillance and legal professional privilege, it is unsurprising that the press has had little time to digest the detail of this judgment.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 7th November 2014
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