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| EMAIL YOUR MP: CHARGE OR RELEASEUnder current anti-terror laws you can be locked up and repeatedly questioned by police for up to 28 days without being charged with an offence. In fact you might not even be told why you are being held.
28 days pre-charge detention is unjust, unnecessary and doesn’t make us safer
- The UK has the longest period of pre-charge detention in the western world.
- 28 days pre-charge detention undermines British traditions such as the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial.
- It is counter-productive, dividing communities and making us less safe.
- There are realistic alternatives to lengthy pre-charge detention.
PLEASE ACT NOW
MPs need to vote every year for the 28 day period to be maintained. If they don’t the period reverts to 14 days.
The new Coalition Government has made much of its commitment to rights and freedoms. They must decide soon whether to try and renew the 28 day period.
Ask your MP to press for the limit to return to 14 days.
| More detail about why 28 days pre-charge detention is unsafe, unjust and unnecessary. There are realistic alternatives to extended pre-charge detention. See our comparative research showing pre-charge detention limits in different Western democracies. Read our booklet full of tips and case studies to help you stand up for what you believe in, May 2010 (PDF) Detailed report showing that the UK 28 day pre-charge detention limit far exceeds other comparable democracies. July 2010 (PDF)
Watch Liberty's first ever cinema advert, featuring a voiceover by Simon Callow. Short film of interviews with Dame Vivienne Westwood, actor Riz Ahmed, and Shami Chakrabarti about pre-charge detention.
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