Rights group decries counterterrorism bill

LONDON, July 4 (UPI) -- A draft law permitting British authorities to detain suspected terrorists without charging them violates rights to liberty, a Human Rights Watch report says.

The House of Lords will begin debate Tuesday on the counterterrorism bill that includes the 42-day pre-charge detention and other proposals HRW considers counter to Britain's obligations under international human rights law, the organization said of the briefing paper released Friday.

"The third anniversary of the 2005 bombings in London reminds us that Britain faces a real terror threat," said Judith Sunderland, HRW's Western Europe researcher. "But locking people up without charge for six weeks will not make the country safer."

Debate begins the day after the third anniversary of the terrorist bombings in London.

While focus has centered on extending the 28-day pre-charge detention period to 42 days, the organization based in London said it was concerned about other provisions of the Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008, including:

-- Post-charge questioning without safeguards against self-incrimination.

-- Lifelong notification requirements for people convicted of terrorism crimes and sentenced to more than five years.

-- Secret inquests into a person's death being ordered on the basis of national security.