New HRW report on British complicity in torture in Pakistan

The 46-page report, “Cruel Britannia: British Complicity in the Torture and Ill-treatment of Terror Suspects in Pakistan,” provides accounts from victims and their families in the cases of five UK citizens of Pakistani origin — Salahuddin Amin, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Rangzieb Ahmed, Rashid Rauf and a fifth individual who wishes to remain anonymous — tortured in [...]

UK Intercept Modernisation Programme delayed until after next election

The Independent reports that plans to store information about every phone call, email and internet visit in the United Kingdom have in effect been abandoned by the Government.
The Home Office confirmed the “Big Brother” scheme had been delayed until after the election amid protests that it would be intrusive and open to abuse. Although ministers [...]

Terrorists smuggle fatwas out of secure prisons in Britain

Georgetown SLB reports that some of Britain’s most dangerous Al-Qaeda leaders are promoting jihad from inside high-security prisons by smuggling out propaganda for the internet and finding recruits. In a report, Quilliam, a think tank funded by the Home Office, claims “mismanagement” by the Prison Service is helping Al-Qaeda gain recruits and risks “strengthening jihadist [...]

UK official criticizes High Court for ordering release of torture evidence

UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Director of Defense and Strategic Threats, Simon Manley, criticized Britain’s High Court Thursday for jeopardizing national security by ordering the public release of evidence of alleged torture of terrorism suspects. Manley accused the British judges of eroding trust between UK and foreign security officials, which he said would limit [...]

UK consultation about changing communications environment

The consultation examined how the rapidly changing communications environment means the existing capability of the police, the security and intelligence agencies and other public authorities is declining, and why change is necessary in the UK. It asked for views on options for maintaining vital communications data capabilities. The responses found that the rejection of a [...]

UK All party parliamentary group recommends criminalising the use of British facilities for extraordinary rendition flights

The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on extraordinary rendition recommends criminalising various acts, including the use of British facilities for extraordinary rendition flights and the failure to prevent extraordinary rendition flights using those facilities. The proposals will also ban so-called “circuit flights” – using UK airports for flights passing through the country to enable a rendition [...]

UK Child support investigators get spying powers designed to combat terrorism to track down absent fathers who do not pay for child support

The agency responsible for tracing absent parents is to be given access to phone and email records for the first time, under Home Office rules The Daily Telegraph reports. The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC), which has taken over the heavily criticised Child Support Agency, said the surveillance powers will allow it to find [...]

British Journal of Criminology Special Issue on Criminology and the war on terror

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The Transformation of Violence in Iraq British Journal of Criminology Advance Access published on May 28, 2009 Br J Criminol 2009 49: 609-627; doi:10.1093/bjc/azp022 [Abstract]
 
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    Jude McCulloch and Sharon Pickering

Pre-Crime and Counter-Terrorism: Imagining Future Crime in the ‘War on Terror’ British Journal of Criminology [...]

Ex UK Foreign Office minister says UK should pull out Afghanistan

Kim Howells, a former Foreign Office minister with responsibility for Afghanistan and current chairman of the parliamentary intelligence and security committee, questions in The Guardian the central tenet of the UK government’s case for fighting in Afghanistan: that it is the frontline of a war that would otherwise be conducted on British streets. Mr Howells said [...]

UK Home Secretary says UK overreacted to 7/7 bombings

The home secretary conceded that some of the counter-terrorism proposals made after the 7 July 2005 bombings were “too draconian” and “not the right way to go”, but made a strong defence of the use of surveillance powers, control orders and the Prevent programme to tackle violent extremism. He strongly hinted that the government’s proposals, [...]