UK-Terrorism
An international human rights organisation Friday urged Britain's upper parliamentary chamber to reject extending pre-change detentions from 28 days to six weeks.

Draft terror laws giving British authorities the power to detain terrorism suspects for up to 42 days without charge "violates the fundamental right to liberty and risks undermining counterterrorism efforts," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said .

In a 20-page briefing paper analyzes measures in the government's Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008, HRW said that extending the detentions was "incompatible with the UK 's obligations under international human rights law."
The report comes as the House of Lords is due to begin debating the new bill on July 8, after previously being approved in the House of Commons.

HRW described the current 28-day detentions, passed three years ago, as "already excessive" and suggested that the period should be rolled back instead of being extended.

Its report also criticised other provisions in the latest terror bill, including post-charge questioning, which it warned was "without effective safeguards against self-incrimination and oppressive police interviews."
"The bill allows the courts to draw negative inferences during the terrorism trial when a defendant exercises the right to remain silent after being charged, and fails to require explicitly the presence of a lawyer at all times," it said.

The government pressed ahead with extending detentions despite widespread opposition from other parties, civil rights groups and even the current Director of Public Prosecution Sir Ken MacDonald, and former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith.