A Yemeni human rights activist was detained at London’s Gatwick airport under the Terrorism Act, uncovering concerns about the intimidation of human rights activists by UK border authorities.
Baraa Shiban, an activist working with London-based legal charity Reprieve was held for an hour on Monday night. Shiban claimed he was questioned about his work and political views and was threatened with detention for the full nine hours the law allows when he told authorities that he thought his views on human rights abuses were not relevant to UK security.
Cori Crider of Reprieve said:
"This is part of a worsening campaign of intimidation of human rights workers going on at the UK border – especially if they're critical of the so-called war on terror. If there were any doubt the UK was abusing its counter-terrorism powers to silence critics, this ends it."
See the Guardian for full story.