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Bombers Welcome To Stay
The men who tried to bomb London and Glasgow will be allowed to stay in Britain at public expense indefinitely even if they are convicted of terrorism offences, according to a report issued today.
Migrationwatch, a thinktank which campaigns against mass immigration, says in its report that the "continued adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is an attraction for terrorists to operate in and from Britain, secure in the knowledge that, even if convicted, they cannot be deported after serving their sentences.
"Article 3 of the Convention prohibits torture or inhumane treatment in member countries. It has been extended by case law to prohibit deportation to countries where there is a risk of such treatment. It is no longer possible, therefore, to balance the risk to the deportee against the risk that he might pose to British society.
"The ECHR also inhibits action against foreign citizens suspected of terrorism. Indefinite detention was struck down by the Law Lords in 2004. The replacement measures, Control Orders, have been so weakened by the courts that seven suspects have already absconded."
Migrationwatch argues that Britain should give six months notice of its intention to withdraw from the ECHR, and announce that citizens of foreign countries convicted of terror-related offices will be deported immediately, with a right to appeal granted only when they arrive in their home country.
The think tank also says that detention laws for foreign suspects should be extended.
Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migrationwatch UK, said "We now face a terrorist threat of a completely different order from past threats. We are told that there are literally thousands of suspects some of whom are prepared to mount suicidal attacks against entirely civilian targets. The ECHR renders foreign terrorists safe from deportation and, in effect, provides them with a meal ticket for life. It was drawn up 50 years ago in entirely different circumstances. We must now pull out of it and write our own laws to protect human rights for the majority."
The people arrested in connection with the London and Glasgow attacks are Palestinian/Jordanian, Iraqi and Indian.
