Commenting on news that the ‘Ricin’ terror trials had ended Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, said:

"The end of the Ricin trials should remind us that not all those accused are guilty.

New 'control orders' replace traditions of fairness with punishment based on suspicion and secret intelligence. Further attacks on jury trials are proposed.

I am not so troubled by the acquittals of today as I am about the many injustices of tomorrow."

Background
On the 7th January 2003 the Metropolitan Police announced that ricin had been found in a flat in Wood Green, London. Amidst much publicity the Prime Minister appeared on television that night referring to the ‘find’ as a stark illustration of the threat of weapons of mass destruction.

After a six month trial eight people have been found not guilty or have had the charges against them dropped.

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