British 'PATRIOT Act' Reined In by High Court

t r u t h o u t - British 'PATRIOT Act' Reined In by High Court

Britain's highest court of appeal struck a blow against the government's anti-terrorism policy Thursday by ruling it cannot detain suspected foreign terrorists indefinitely without trial.

In a stinging rebuke to Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, the panel ruled by 8 to 1 that the anti-terrorism act that authorized the detentions violated European human rights laws and were discriminatory because they applied only to foreign nationals and not to British citizens.