Responding to the publication earlier today of a Justice and Security Bill, Amnesty International researcher on the United Kingdom Alice Wyss said:

“We still need to carefully examine the details of the Bill, but our concerns still stand - that the Bill will allow the Government to throw a cloak of secrecy over wrongdoing, including the alleged involvement by UK officials in rendition, secret detention and torture.

“Victims of human rights violations as well as the general public have a right to know the truth about whether and how government officials have been involved in human rights violations such as secret detention and torture.

“If members of the intelligence and security services are suspected of involvement in human right violations, the government should not be able to invoke ‘national security’ to avoid real accountability.

“It is crucial that the lords and MPs examine the Bill meticulously, given that in the past national security legislation has been rushed through Parliament. Where the proposals fall short of the UK’s human rights obligations, Parliament must unequivocally reject them.”