General Chat

I am not wrong about this, they are free to leave. This has been stated more than once by the government. See BBC article http://news.bbc(.)co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4107299.stm Bob

Totally wrong - if there is not enough evidence to charge them they should be deported, some of these people have been locked up for 3 years. And yes, I agree that 'human rights' are often seen as being 'soft' on criminals, however the right to justice and a fair trial is fundamental. I try to think how I would feel if one of my family were locked up without being charged for such a long time.

The idea that it is OK to lock anyone up without giving them the chance to face their accusers was thrown out in this country 300 years ago. For a “Socialist” government to re-introduce it seems somewhat ironic to say the least. If the people who are detained in Belmarsh think that is better than their country of origin then we can be sure that they are pretty certain of their fate if they return there. For some people “human rights” has become a synonym for being soft on criminals and it is true that there are some that have taken advantage. Human Rights are OUR rights and fundamental to that is the right to a fair trial; to see the evidence against us and to be given the opportunity to argue or explain. MI5 and MI6 are not infallible (WMD anyone?) so let these “terrorists” be judged and the evidence tested. If the government gets away with this how long will it be before it is extended to British Citizens – You and me? Bob

They are not locked up, they can leave the country when they wish but don't want that , wonder why? Bob

It is wrong to lock anyone up indefinately without charge, be it in Belmarsh, Guantanamo Bay or anywhere else. If there is enough evidence for the authorities to believe they are terrorists, then there should be enough evidence to charge them. The youngest person to be released from Guantanamo Bay was 13. He'd been there for over a year. In other words, the Americans had detained a twelve year old child because they believed him to be a devious terrorist mastermind. The simple fact is that the governments are making no effort to lock up any suspected terrorist who isn't a Middle-Eastern Muslim. Where are the prisons bulging with Irish Catholics? Or Chechens? Or Spanish Basques?

I agree too. There is too much liberalism nowadays in general. The powers that be must have information to hand regarding what these people are up too. We must protect our country. We need to be vigilant otherwise we could be the next victims of another 9/11. I'd rather a few innocent people were locked up at the end of the day than thousands killed. Just my opinion. Diane

Yes These suspected terrorists are not locked up on a whim. There must be sufficiant evidence for them to be a suspect in the first place. And its this countrys right to protect its citizens and visitors from overseas that come to our country. Elaine x

I think it is wrong to imprison indefinitely without trial but having said that I don't mean that suspected terrorists should therefore be released, but that the authorities who suspect them should gather the evidence and prosecute so that they can be tried and imprisoned lawfully. Judith

At least they are safe if they are locked up. Better safe than sorry is what I think. There have been so many blunders made on security measures, innocent people killed, that I reiterate "better safe than sorry". Sylvia xxx

indefinitely on the grounds that the Security Services think that they are terrorists.