by TChris

The highest court in Great Britain, echoing (and perhaps amplifying) a decision of the United States Supreme Court (covered here by TalkLeft), "ruled today that the British government cannot indefinitely detain foreigners suspected of terrorism without charging or trying them, and called the process a violation of European human rights laws." The decision revolves around the detention of nine Muslim men in Belmarsh Prison in London, some of whom have been held without trial for three years.

In its powerfully worded decision, the court said that the government's "draconian" measures unjustly discriminate against foreigners since they do not apply to British citizens and constitute a lopsided response to the threat of a terrorist attack.

Lord Leonard Hoffman wrote that the case "calls into question the very existence of an ancient liberty of which this country has until now been very proud: freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention."

He went on to say that the government's actions posed a greater threat to the nation than terrorism. "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," Lord Hoffman wrote.

The detention law, which appears to be aimed only at Muslims, was due to expire in 2006.