Council of Europe report criticises 42-day detention

Council of Europe report criticises 42-day detention

• Plan could breach human rights legislation
• Separate report criticises conditions for detainees

"The government's plans to extend to 42 days the time limit for detention without charge will receive a further blow today from the Council of Europe. A report for the council will raise "serious doubts" about the compatibility of the proposals with European human rights legislation.

The critical report comes in the wake of last week's claim by the former head of MI5 Dame Stella Rimington that 42 days was an excessive time for a suspect to be held without charge.

The plan to increase the detention time limit from 28 to 42 days faces rejection when it goes to the House of Lords after the summer recess".

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said: "Britain once used the Council of Europe to promote fundamental freedoms in younger democracies. It is embarrassing in the extreme that this same council should have to tell a UK government why it's wrong to imprison people for six weeks without charge".

The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) visited the high-security Paddington Green police station in west London in December. The report said: "The CPT considers that such conditions are not acceptable for persons held for periods of up to 14 days (let alone 28 or 42)".