Ben Ward (London, Human Rights Watch): On 5 August 2005, a month after the deadly transport attacks in London, Tony Blair announced a new approach to combating terrorism. "Let no-one be in any doubt," the Prime Minister said, "the rules of the game are changing." The rules Blair had in mind were the right to a fair trial and an absolute ban on sending people to face torture and ill-treatment.
Last week, the Home Office Minister in charge of countering terrorism admitted that Blair had got it wrong. Echoing Gordon Brown's statements about the importance of winning hearts and minds, Tony McNulty emphasized that "[t]he more any response is rooted in our civil liberties and our human rights with whatever slight tweaks at the top, the better."
The government is finally saying the right things about human rights and security. But the proof will be in the policy. It apparently still wants to extend the period that terrorism suspects can be detained without charge beyond 28 days, already the longest period in the European Union. And it remains committed to sending terrorism suspects to places where they face the risk of torture based on flimsy assurances of humane treatment, despite clear evidence that they don't work. If the government is serious about playing by the rules it needs to abandon its policy of returning suspects to face torture, and its efforts to lock up terrorism suspects for months without charge, and ensure that all its counterterrorism measures are consistent with human rights. That's the real way to win hearts and minds.
