Two High Court judges in the United Kingdom have ruled that secret evidence may not be used to deny terror suspects bail, the BBC reported Tuesday. The court held that terror suspects must be given at least a minimum amount of information regarding the case against them in order to be held without bail. The court also ruled that decisions by the UK immigration court, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, were subject to judicial review. In a concession to the government, the judges delayed the release of the men to allow time for Home Secretary Alan Johnson to seek review of the case from the Court of Appeals.
Human rights activists told the BBC the case was a “historic” victory, while the Home Secretary called the verdict “unhelpful.” Regardless of the perspective, if the Court of Appeals accepts the case for review it promises to be a watershed case in the legal system of one of the United States’ biggest allies in the war on terror.
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