Justice: Anti-terror laws counter-productive

Legal reform group Justice has warned anti-terror legislation that damages human rights is counter-productive.

Human rights policy director Eric Metcalfe said today's report on the subject addresses "a lot of urban myths" on the effectiveness of counter-terrorism laws.

He told politics.co.uk: "The report highlights the importance of human rights in the fight against terrorism and the need to avoid excessive pre-charge detention.

"Excessive counter-terrorism legislation that damages human rights is counter-productive."

Mr Metcalfe agreed with the human rights committee that experience from countries such as France and Spain were only of "limited value" to the UK.

"Too often the government has sought to justify sweeping counter-terrorism measures by reference to what is alleged to happen in other European countries," he said.

He added: "In our view it is vital for a mature debate on counter-terrorism and human rights to proceed on the basis of accurate information."