Amnesty International UK today issued a call for the UK’s Control Orders regime to be scrapped, as Lord Carlile published his review into Control Orders and reports emerged of the soaring cost of legal battles over Control Order cases.

Amnesty International UK Campaigns Director Tim Hancock said:

“It’s hardly surprising that Control Orders have been the subject of expensive, drawn-out legal challenges. When people have their liberty restricted on the basis of secret intelligence, of course they are going to challenge this unfair decision in the courts.

“The fundamental problem with Control Orders – that they restrict people’s liberty without giving them a fair trial – still remains. The government should stop battling to protect a Control Order regime that is fundamentally flawed. People should either be charged and given a fair trial, or the restrictions against them should be lifted.”