British government floats plans for secret trials of terrorist suspects
JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer
Monday, February 2, 2004
(02-02) 02:55 PST LONDON (AP) --
The British government said Monday that it is considering giving courts the power to try terrorist suspects in secret and without juries -- proposals condemned by civil liberties groups.
Home Secretary David Blunkett published a discussion paper outlining changes to existing anti-terrorist laws. They include secret trials in which judges and lawyers would be cleared beforehand by the intelligence services.
There is also a proposal to allow judges to convict suspects on a lower standard of proof than in normal criminal trials, where guilt must be proven "beyond reasonable doubt." The proposal would allow judges to convict if they thought "on a balance of probabilities" a suspect was guilty.
The civil rights group Liberty said the plans were "wholly unacceptable."
"Simply introducing more laws, greater powers and stiffer penalties will go a long way to undermining British justice and will not make our country any safer," said campaigns director Mark Littlewood.
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