SACC welcomes the announcement by Foreign Secretary David Milbiand yesterday confirming that three British men held at Guantanamo Bay will come home shortly. The three men are Jamil El Banna, Omar Deghayes and Abdennour Sameur. We share the relief and joy the men and their families must be feeling at this news. It has been a long time coming.
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News from 2007
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14 December 2007
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14 December 2007In the last two days, two different Parliamentary committees have said that there is no case for extending police detention without charge (so-called "pre-charge detention") beyond the current limit of 28 days.
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13 December 2007Newsnight discredits the Policy Exchange report entitled 'The Hijacking of British Islam: How extremist literature is subverting Britain's mosques. Edinburgh mosque was one of those named in the report.
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13 December 2007Today, Thursday 13 December, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office released an official statement by Foreign Secretary David Miliband on the return of 3 British residents to the UK.
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07 December 2007Today in the Edinburgh High Court, the three most senior judges in Scotland presided over a procedural hearing with regards to the human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar. Anwar faces a contempt of court charge after speaking out on behalf of his client Mohammed Atif Siddique.
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06 December 2007As a fresh legal battle begins in the US Supreme Court over the right to a fair trial of the 300 prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, a former US army Muslim Chaplain will be speaking in Glasgow about his own experiences at the notorious prison camp.
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08 November 2007Today the Muslim organisations of all the Glasgow mosques met together and decided to form a Muslim Action Committee to support the lawyer Aamer Anwar.
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06 November 2007Glasgow solicitor Aamer Anwar is to face contempt of court proceedings over statements he made after his client Mohammed Atif Siddique was convicted for "terrorism"
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05 November 2007The current State of Emergency in Pakistan is a blatant breach of international law and human rights standards enshrined in the country's own constitution, Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan said today.
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04 November 2007THE MOST celebrated names in the English legal establishment have savaged the Scottish justice system for undermining human rights and freedom of speech through threats to prosecute the Scottish lawyer Aamer Anwar for contempt of court in the wake of a terror trial.
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02 November 2007Amnesty International days SIAC ruling will allow the British government to "it will circumvent the protection against torture in UK law."
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01 November 2007Press release regarding jury's guilty verdict following the prosecution of the Metropolitan police for breaches of Health and Safety regulations
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31 October 2007Solicitor acting for men under control orders welcome Law Lords ruling
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31 October 2007Amnesty International today warned that today's Law Lords ruling may only lead to the government persisting with a watered-down Control Order regime that remains fundamentally unfair.
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25 October 2007Rachid Ramda had been convicted by a French Court for his supposed part in the 1995 Paris metro bombings. He was sentenced to "perpetuity" (life). Rachid has always denied any connection with the bombings and will appeal.
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23 October 2007At Edinburgh High Court today, Lord Carloway sentenced Mohammed Atif Siddique - convicted last month of "terrorism" offences - to a total of 8 years in jail.
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22 October 2007At Edinburgh High Court today, Lord Carloway sentenced Mohammed Atif Siddique to a total of 8 years in jail.
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12 October 2007BRITISH Asians have blasted the police about a "misleading" DVD on the use of stop and search powers.
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10 October 2007The US Supreme Court on Tuesday denied without comment a petition brought by Khaled el-Masri, a German citizen who was jailed and tortured by the CIA in 2004.
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17 September 2007The media this morning are asking "Guilty.. But is Siddique really a terrorist?" Of course he isn't a terrorist. With a prosecution case that sought to manipulate the emotions of the jury, and terrorism laws so ill-drafted that it seems they can mean anything at all, the jury can hardly be blamed for getting it wrong.
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17 September 2007Mohammed Atif Siddique was found guilty on Monday of three "terrorism" offences. The jury at Glasgow's High Court took over 8 hours to reach their verdict after a trial lasting almost 4 weeks.
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22 August 2007Recent research shows that Scottish airports have been a key staging point in the renditions circuit, and that six named individuals were transported to torture with the help of Scottish territory.
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16 August 2007British Pakistani Rangzieb Ahmed is being held in Pakistan in mysterious circumstances.
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10 August 2007A Gulfstream with the ID N475LC flew from Fayetteville (Ft. Bragg, USA) to Shannon via Bangor, Maine, a few days ago. It is now (11pm Friday) returning from Glasgow to Fayetteville via Bangor
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07 July 2007Our new, unelected, Security Minister Alan West has got off to a flying start. Just as you'd expect from a security minister, he has announced that he wants a security state. He says people must learn to "snitch" - his word - on friends, family and neighbours.
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04 July 2007Nicky Moss, producer of the acclaimed new film "Taking Liberties", will be taking part in a panel discussion following a screening of the film at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Saturday afternoon (7 July)
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03 July 2007An Asian-owned shop in Riddrie was destroyed yesterday by what press reports describe as a "massive fire and explosion." It's time for everyone to begin exercising a bit more caution in the way that they discuss the events of the last few days.
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01 July 2007Saturday's apparent attack on Glasgow airport has shocked everyone in Scotland. But the interests of justice will be served best if police stick to the tried and trusted methods contained in the ordinary criminal law, and avoid using the divisive powers granted them under terrorism laws.
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27 June 2007On Monday 2nd July 2007, The European Court of Human Rights are expected to sit and begin deciding on whether or not to hear Babar Ahmad's case.
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19 June 2007Detainee "X", who was arrested in Algeria on 6 June after he was deported from the UK, was released without charge on the morning of 16 June.
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18 June 2007Court of Appeal starts hearing an important test case concerning the appeal of three Algerians against their deportation to Algeria on"national security" grounds
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14 June 2007SACC has written to Holyrood Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill calling for an investigation into fears that Scottish airports have been used illegally in connection with CIA "extraordinary rendition" flights.
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14 June 2007The European Cort has put a hold on the extradition of Babar Ahmad. Babar Ahmad's family say: "This intervention by the European Court in asking for a stay is a sign of hope for us. We are still unsure how long this will actually be and will have to wait and see what their response is. We continue to have hope and pray for Babar's swift return."
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14 June 2007Amnesty International has issued an action alert for "Detainee X", an Algerian asylum-seeker deported from the UK on 6 June, now being held incommunicado in Algeria
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13 June 2007
SACC is stunned by the Law Lords decision on Monday not to hear Babar Ahmad's appeal against extradition to the US. In December last year the High Court in London, despite rejecting Babar Ahmad's appeal, gave certification for his case to be taken to the House of Lords. But the Law Lords ruled on Monday that the two points of Law presented to them were not matters of "public importance" and hence rejected the appeal.
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12 June 2007SACC is stunned by the Law Lords decision on Monday not to hear Babar Ahmad's appeal against extradition to the US. In December last year the High Court in London, despite rejecting Babar Ahmad's appeal, gave certification for his case to be taken to the House of Lords. But the Law Lords ruled on Monday that the two points of Law presented to them were not matters of "public importance" and hence rejected the appeal.
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12 June 2007This morning the Home Office carried out the first dawn raid in Glasgow since the Waku family were taken in March earlier this year
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12 June 2007The House of Lords have refused Babar Ahmad permission to appeal against his US extradition. The Lords concluded that the two points of Law presented to them were not matters of "public importance" and hence rejected the appeal.
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07 June 2007Brown stitched up the Labour leadership - now he wants to stitch up our liberty. We don't need any more bells and whistles bolted on to Britain's anti-terror laws. We need fundamental change to our anti-terror policies. We need laws that target criminals, laws that protect the innocent, laws that encourage careful, rational police work, laws that discourage drag-net investigations, discourage prejudice, discourage racism, discourage panic. In other words we need the ordinary criminal law, not gimmicks invented to boost the discredited "war on terror."
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07 June 2007Yesterday's official unwrapping of the government's long-trailed package of "anti-terror" measures makes it clear that New Labour's assault on civil liberties isn't about to end any time soon.
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07 June 2007The latest report of Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty confirms long-standing suspicions that the British-owned island of Diego Garcia is hosting a secret CIA prison. It also says that secret prisons hace existed in Poland and Romania
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30 May 2007University and college lecturers this morning voted unanimously to reject government plans to instruct university staff to report students for 'extremism'.
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25 May 2007Thursday 24th May 2007 saw two demonstrations to urge the Scottish Parliament to take action to stop torture flights.
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16 May 2007Charges against five protesters arrested during Edinburgh's G8 demonstrations have been thrown out of court after two years.
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13 May 2007SIAC has ruled that three men can be deported to Algeria, where human rights groups believe the men risk torture. Another man, Mouloud Sihali, has won his appeal against deportation.
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11 May 2007Those CIA flights with the Scotland stopovers originate at Landmark Aviation near Washington, we now know - Indymedia report on how CIA personnel and aircraft can be spotted at US airports, before setting off for Scotland.
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10 May 2007A man from Britain who was released from Guantanamo Bay and sent to Morocco has been re-arrested by the Moroccan authorities after earlier terrorism-related charges brought on his arrival in the country were dropped.
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10 May 2007Since Wednesday morning 8 am a wave of searches is taking places against left structures throughout Germany. Targeted are social projects and private persons that are organizing against the coming G8 summit - or suspected to do so.
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08 May 2007Following a series of damning revelations during the trial of seven men for their roles in the alleged "fertiliser bomb plot," the government is continuing to dismiss calls for an independent inquiry into the July 7, 2005, London bombings.
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03 May 2007Rene Murabukirwa, the Edinburgh charity worker from Rwanda who was detained last week, and was due to be deported today, has had his flight stopped after his lawyer managed to lodge a judicial review of the decision to remove him.
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02 May 2007Craig Murray comments on the fertiliser plot convictions and reveals that he went to the Old Bailey at the request of the defence to discuss giving expert evidence in the case.
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02 May 2007The American government wants to impose travel restrictions on British citizens of Pakistani origin because of concerns about terrorism, according to a report.
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01 May 2007Out Now - Bad Men - Guantanamo Bay And The Secret Prisons by Clive Stafford Smith
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30 April 2007Five British Muslims were convicted today of plotting to carry out a deadly bombing spree across the U.K., ending the country's longest terrorism trial.
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30 April 2007A CHARITY worker who fled Rwanda when his family were murdered and set up a new life for himself in Edinburgh today faces being sent back to his homeland.
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27 April 2007"I had been more than a little disconcerted by what I discovered of the administration of Dundee University since I became Rector two months ago," writes Craig Murray
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18 April 2007As the Holyrood elections approach, human rights group Scotland Against Criminalising Communities is holding a conference in Glasgow with the theme "Rights and Resistance."
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26 March 2007Mouloud Sihali's appeal against deportation will be heard by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission on Tuesday, March 27th.
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25 March 2007A report on The Definition of Terrorism by Lord Carlile, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, was published on 15 March 2007
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23 March 2007The UN Human Rights Council is currently discussing changes to the Special Procedures through a review to be completed by June 2007. The UN's Special Procedures provide expertise on matters ranging from freedom from torture, arbitrary or extrajudicial executions, "counter-terrorism", racism and violence against women to respect for the rights to health, to food and to adequate housing.
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22 March 2007Open letter from Noam Chomsky and others to Geoff Hoon, Minister of State for Europe, calling for an independent investigation into the alleged poisoning of Abdullah Ocalan.
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28 February 200740 adults and children were removed to DR Congo on Monday evening. On Wednesday 21st February there was a demonstration at the Home Office in Brand Street, Glasgow in support of Angelique and Eduard and all the other families who have been detained in Glasgow.
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26 February 2007Two men who were deported from the UK to Algeria last month have been arrested, imprisoned and charged with terrorist activities, despite being assured by Algerian officials in Britain they would face no criminal proceedings. One of the men says that while in the custody of Algeria's security police (DRS), he signed a statement under duress without reading its contents, and that he heard the screams of other prisoners being tortured.
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26 February 2007Responding to today's Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) ruling regarding Abu Qatada, Amnesty International says 'Deporting Abu Qatada to Jordan will put him at real risk of torture.'
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19 February 2007Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray emerged as the new rector of Dundee University following a vote on 16 February.
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13 February 2007Dundee TUC is tabling a motion for the STUC Congress calling for Tayside's Special Branch Community Contact Unit to be disbanded.
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13 February 2007Tayside Police say that their "terrorism" unit has visited 18 schools in the area to look for signs of "extremism" in school pupils.
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12 February 2007Speaking at the Stop the War Coalition's Scottish conference in Glasgow on Saturday, Yvonne Ridley said she still had no idea why her highly-regarded "Agenda" programme had be take off the air by the Islam Channel.
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12 February 20079/11 hero William Rodriguez addressed a well-attended meeting at Glasgow University's Sir Charles Wilson Building on the evening of Saturday 10 February. The meeting followed the Stop the War Conference, which had drawn nearly 500 people to the same building to hear a galaxy of well-known figures speaking throughout the day about the disastrous Bush-Blair "War on Terror"
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12 February 2007Message from hunger strikers held without trial in Canada's Guantanamo Bay
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11 February 2007Detainee 'G', has lost his appeal against deportation in the Special Immigration Appeals Court (SIAC). The judgment has dismayed human rights groups, who say that 'G' faces torture if returned to Algeria.
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11 February 2007A man accused of withholding information about an alleged plot to kidnap and kill a British soldier has been remanded in custody. Basiru Gassama, 29, spoke only to give his name and date of birth during the 45-minute hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Five other men, arrested with Mr Gassama during raids in Birmingham, were remanded in custody on Friday.
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10 February 2007Reprieve has learned that four British nationals (Shahajan Janjua, Reza Afsharzadagen, Mohammed Ezzoueck and Hamza Chentouf) were rendered from Kenya to Somalia on the morning of the 10th of February 2006, where they are being held in an undisclosed detention centre. Reprieve is concerned that they face torture unless the UK government acts immediately to ensure their safe return home
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10 February 2007Abu Izzadeen, the man who gave Home Secretary John Reid a well-deseved heckling at a meeting in East London last September, has been bailed after appearinng in court on "terrorism" charges.
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10 February 2007A man accused of plotting to seize and kill a member of the British armed forces appeared in court yesterday for the first time.
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08 February 2007
The family of Babar Ahmad are disappointed, but not surprised, by the latest IPCC report which concluded that a series of complaints by Babar Ahmad were "unsubstantiated". They have described the report as a "whitewash"
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08 February 2007One of the men arrested during the Birmingham terror raids launched a blistering attack last night on the authorities for the way he was seized, held for a week and questioned for barely four hours about apparently trivial matters.
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02 February 2007German prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for thirteen CIA operatives linked to the kidnapping and torture of German citizen Khaled El-Masri.
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27 January 2007On 27 January, 500,000 protestors marched on Washington to say Bring the Troops Home Now. Many thousands more joined protests held in towns and cities across America.
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27 January 2007After a court ruled on several test cases, the treatment of children in refugee detention centres was declared unlawful, after years of campaigning that centred on Dungavel.
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26 January 2007Amnesty International says it is 'deeply concerned' about the safety of two Algerian men - known as 'Q' and 'K' - deported from the UK to Algeria in recent days, after they were arrested by the Algerian security services.
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26 January 2007Home office announces "new powers boost Immigration Officers power to protect UK borders"
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26 January 2007A High Court judge has delivered the first decision on the meaning of 'terrorism' in the government's new anti-terrorist legislation. He has ruled that it includes assistance for regime change irrespective of the nature of the regime
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24 January 2007The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has published a report criticising the Government's approach to the threat of terrorist abuse of charities, claiming it is ineffective and counterproductive.
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23 January 2007
Source : Associated Press
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23 January 2007
SACC applauds today's decision by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust to allow a number of events organised by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) to be publicised on its website. The events had previously been removed by the Holocaust Day Memorial Trust in a row over SPSC's staging of rehearsed readings of the controversial Holocaust play Perdition during Holocaust Memorial Week.
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22 January 2007SACC condemns as censorship the decision by Britain's Holocaust Memorial Day Trust to remove from its website a number of events organised by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign for Holocaust Memorial Week. SACC supports all the censored events.
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22 January 2007Anti-war protester Brian Haw has won his latest legal battle to maintain his demonstration in Parliament Square.
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20 January 2007Statement from Gareth Peirce - Each is choosing a quick death there rather than an endless slow death here.
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19 January 2007Reprieve says report on Guantanamo is based on a show visit
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19 January 2007A prominent Turkish-Armenian editor, convicted in 2005 of insulting Turkish identity, has been shot dead outside his newspaper's office in Istanbul.
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16 January 2007On the eve of the start of the trial of two human rights lawyers in an Algiers court on 17 January 2007, Amnesty International reiterates its concern that they face imprisonment because of their advocacy work
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13 January 2007MSPs, campaigning groups and individuals pledged at a meeting held in Scottish Parliament today to press for the closure of the the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay.
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13 January 2007Asif Iqbal and Deghayes family in Cuba - Reports from around the world of the International day of Action to close Guantanamo.
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12 January 2007Resolution calling oro the closure of Guantanamo Bay, tabled by Tommy Sherdan on 11 January 2007, the 5th anniversary of the arrival of the first prisoners at Guantanamo.
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11 January 2007MSPs, campaigning groups and individuals pledged at a meeting held in Scottish Parliament today to press for the closure of the the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay.
