From: mkb30@cam.ac.uk (Matthew Belmonte)
To: CAMPBELLA@parliament.uk
Subject: oppose the Prevention of Terrorism Bill
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2005 20:09:39 +0000

Dear Mrs Campbell

I hope that you'll oppose the Prevention of Terrorism Bill which is currently
before Parliament.  Secretary Clarke's proposal to give himself the power of
placing Britons under possibly unending house arrest, with no chance for a fair
and open trial, is a slap in the face to the British legal tradition of the
presumption of innocence and an attempt to circumvent the Law Lords' recent
judgement on indefinite detention without trial.

The proposed modification in which such control orders would be imposed by
judges, rather than by Mr Clarke himself, isn't much better since it again
denies persons the opportunity to be charged with specific crimes and to rebut
those charges at trial.

I hope that you will join the many other Labour members who stand in support of
the British tradition of freedom and who therefore must stand in opposition to
this misguided legislation.

Very sincerely

Matthew Belmonte
[address]