For Their Eyes Only
Human rights NGO, Liberty, has launched today 'For Their Eyes Only', a campaign against government proposals to extend the use of secret evidence and closed courts.
According to Liberty, some things are best kept secret, like a secret valentine. Other things demand nothing less than openness and scrutiny – like justice and fair trials.
LIberty claims the government's Justice and Security Green paper undermines these centuries-old principles by allowing the deeply flawed and unfair Closed Material Procedure system to spread way beyond the boundaries of national security into any area of civil law concerning material which might 'damage the public interest'.
This could include civil actions against the police for assault or false imprisonment; personal injury claims brought by ex-servicemen against the Ministry of Defence; class actions against Government or big business; and even inquests.
Liberty believes that these proposals are designed to put the Government above the law and keep the rest of us in the dark – shutting out bereaved families, the public and the press.
