Abdullah el-Faisal is said to have influenced Jermaine Lindsay in the London attacks. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Deon P Green, Gleaner Writer

London, ENGLAND:

The British Government may suspend parts of the European Convention on Human Rights in order to facilitate the imposition of more stringent measures to ensure terror suspects do not elude the country's grasp.

Reports reaching The Gleaner is that the British authorities are now in a desperate search for three terror suspects on the run after breaching their orders. A total of six of 17 suspects under the Government's control orders have now absconded. As a result, Home Secretary John Reid has said that the Government would consider declaring that there was an emergency threat to the country, which would allow Britain to opt out of parts of the regional human rights convention.

The Home Secretary wants tougher control orders to prevent courts from cutting the length of curfews for suspects from 18 hours to 14 hours or lower the 18-hour curfews constitute a breach of human rights.

Similar decision

During the 1990s, the P.J. Patterson administration in Jamaica came under flak from local and international rights advocates when it took a similar decision to suspend its recognition of an international human rights body, which the administration believed was hindering the local justice system as it relates to processing appeals from death row inmates.

In what is expected to be a controversial decision, the Home Secretary wants consideration to be given to courts to infer guilt in cases when a suspect keeps silent during questioning after charges have been brought against him/her as well as to allow suspects to be questioned for some time after they have been charged, among other proposals. However, these could hit a major hurdle because such a motion has to be approved by both houses of Parliament.

Those who have eluded the authorities have been identified as 26-year-old Lamine Adam, his 20-year-old brother Ibra-him, and 24-year-old Cerie Bullivant. The latter is booked to stand trial over claims that he breached his control order on 13 occasions during a 10-month period. The Home Secretary is concerned that those on the run want to travel abroad for terrorism-related purposes.

Protecting the public

In the case of Abdullah el-Faisal, the Jamaican-born Islamic preacher, who was deported to the island last Friday, the Home Secretary said he would now be excluded from Britain. "We are committed to protecting the public and have made it clear that foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality and break our laws can expect to be deported after they have served a prison sentence," stated Reid. We will not tolerate those who seek to spread hate and fear in our communities.

Abdullah el-Faisal is said to have influenced Jamaican-born Jermaine Lindsay who was involved in the July 7 terror attacks on the London transport system.