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A v Secretary of State for the Home Department

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ground that a power of detention confined to foreigners is irrational and discriminatory. I would prefer not to express a view on this point. I said that the power of detention is at present confined to foreigners and I would not like to give the impression that all that was necessary was to extend the power to United Kingdom citizens as well. In my opinion, such a power in any form is not compatible with our constitution. The real threat to the life of the nation, in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values, comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these. That is the true measure of what terrorism may achieve. It is for Parliament to decide whether to give the terrorists such a victory.
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For these reasons I think that the Special Immigration Appeals Commission made an error of law and that the appeal ought to be allowed. Others of your Lordships who are also in favour of allowing the appeal would do so, not because there is no emergency threatening the life of the nation, but on the
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dissented in strong terms, but agreed that the appeals should be allowed. Whereas the majority argued that the 2001 Act was contrary to the ECHR because it discriminated between nationals and foreign nationals (Art.14 ECHR), Lord Hoffmann stated that the whole scheme was incompatible with the United
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The more purely political (in a broad or narrow sense) a question is, the more appropriate it will be for political resolution and the less likely it is to be an appropriate matter for judicial decision. The smaller, therefore, will be the potential role of the court. It is the function of political
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Of the nine appellants, all except two were detained in December 2001; the others were detained in February and April 2002 respectively. All were detained under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. Part 4 of the Act provided for their indefinite detention without trial and deportation.
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also dissented, but would have dismissed the appeal. In his opinion, the discrimination was justified due to "sound, rational grounds for different treatment". While the indefinite detention provisions were a "grave concern", they were "necessary" and accompanied by "several important safeguards
216:. The Spanish people have not said that what happened in Madrid, hideous crime as it was, threatened the life of their nation. Their legendary pride would not allow it. Terrorist violence, serious as it is, does not threaten our institutions of government or our existence as a civil community. 201:
Kingdom's constitution, and its commitment to human rights. He dismissed the government's argument that under the ECHR and HRA it was possible to derogate from the ECHR's general provisions. His view was that the test – that there was a "threat to the life of the nation" – was not fulfilled.
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This is a nation which has been tested in adversity, which has survived physical destruction and catastrophic loss of life. I do not underestimate the ability of fanatical groups of terrorists to kill and destroy, but they do not threaten the life of the nation. Whether we would survive
177:) that, whilst their detention was lawful under the ATCSA 2001, section 23 was incompatible with the articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. As a consequence, the House of Lords made a declaration of incompatibility under section 4 of the 299:"House of Lords - A (FC) and others (FC) (Appellants) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) (2004)A and others (Appellants) (FC) and others v. Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) (Conjoined Appeals)" 141:
However, the power was only applied to non-British nationals. Under section 25 of this Act, they had the right to appeal to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission against their detention.
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Lord Bingham said in relation to the application of Art.15 ECHR and whether there was a public emergency threatening the life of the nation:
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against oppression". He therefore held that Part 4 of the 2001 Act was "proportionate, rational and non-discriminatory".
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A and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department; X and another v Secretary of State for the Home Department
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to eject them from the country on the basis that there was evidence that they threatened national security.
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UKHL 71, which relates to the use of evidence obtained by torture in British courts.
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hung in the balance, but there is no doubt that we shall survive
100:. It held that the indefinite detention of foreign prisoners in 209: 133:
The case began with nine men who challenged a decision of the
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Parliament decided to replace Part 4 of ATCSA 2001 with the
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A and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department
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and not judicial bodies to resolve political questions.
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Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights
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A v Secretary of State for the Home Department (No 2)
338: 271: 269: 315:A v Secretary of State for the Home Department 253:. That case was also decided in favour of the 119:The case should not be confused with the case 266: 106:Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 29: 249:This case was eventually appealed to the 149:The House of Lords held by a majority ( 372:United Kingdom constitutional case law 339: 296: 135:Special Immigration Appeals Commission 104:without trial under section 23 of the 114:European Convention on Human Rights 13: 14: 383: 325: 240:Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 352:2004 in United Kingdom case law 233: 290: 251:European Court of Human Rights 1: 227:Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe 7: 181:, and allowed the appeals. 155:Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead 144: 10: 388: 362:Imprisonment and detention 303:publications.parliament.uk 24:A v SS for Home Department 171:Baroness Hale of Richmond 167:Lord Rodger of Earlsferry 68: 63: 55: 45: 37: 28: 23: 260: 205: 188: 151:Lord Bingham of Cornhill 128: 297:Department, Law Lords. 357:Home Office litigation 319:[2004] UKHL 56 224: 195: 159:Lord Hope of Craighead 96:case heard before the 332:full text of decision 203: 186: 179:Human Rights Act 1998 163:Lord Scott of Foscote 347:House of Lords cases 70:Indefinite detention 16:UK human rights case 86:(also known as the 76: 75: 379: 307: 306: 294: 288: 287: 285: 283: 273: 72:, right to trial 33: 21: 20: 387: 386: 382: 381: 380: 378: 377: 376: 337: 336: 328: 310: 295: 291: 281: 279: 275: 274: 267: 263: 236: 223: 194: 147: 131: 94:UK human rights 17: 12: 11: 5: 385: 375: 374: 369: 364: 359: 354: 349: 335: 334: 327: 326:External links 324: 323: 322: 309: 308: 289: 264: 262: 259: 235: 232: 222: 221: 217: 204: 193: 192: 187: 146: 143: 130: 127: 98:House of Lords 74: 73: 66: 65: 61: 60: 57: 53: 52: 47: 46:Full case name 43: 42: 41:House of Lords 39: 35: 34: 26: 25: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 384: 373: 370: 368: 365: 363: 360: 358: 355: 353: 350: 348: 345: 344: 342: 333: 330: 329: 320: 317: 316: 312: 311: 304: 300: 293: 278: 272: 270: 265: 258: 256: 252: 247: 245: 244:control order 241: 231: 228: 218: 215: 211: 206: 202: 199: 198:Lord Hoffmann 189: 185: 182: 180: 176: 175:Lord Carswell 172: 168: 164: 160: 156: 152: 142: 138: 136: 126: 124: 123: 117: 115: 111: 107: 103: 99: 95: 91: 90: 85: 82: 81: 71: 67: 62: 58: 54: 51: 48: 44: 40: 36: 32: 27: 22: 19: 313: 302: 292: 280:. Retrieved 248: 237: 234:Significance 225: 196: 183: 148: 139: 132: 120: 118: 110:incompatible 88: 87: 79: 78: 77: 49: 18: 92:case) is a 341:Categories 282:22 January 255:applicants 89:Belmarsh 9 112:with the 214:Al-Qaeda 145:Judgment 102:Belmarsh 64:Keywords 56:Citation 84:UKHL 56 59:UKHL 56 210:Hitler 261:Notes 129:Facts 38:Court 284:2020 173:and 108:was 343:: 301:. 268:^ 257:. 246:. 169:, 165:, 161:, 157:, 153:, 116:. 305:. 286:.

Index


Indefinite detention
UKHL 56
UK human rights
House of Lords
Belmarsh
Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
incompatible
European Convention on Human Rights
A v Secretary of State for the Home Department (No 2)
Special Immigration Appeals Commission
Lord Bingham of Cornhill
Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead
Lord Hope of Craighead
Lord Scott of Foscote
Lord Rodger of Earlsferry
Baroness Hale of Richmond
Lord Carswell
Human Rights Act 1998
Lord Hoffmann
Hitler
Al-Qaeda
Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe
Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005
control order
European Court of Human Rights
applicants


"A and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department: Antiterrorism"

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