The Society of Editors has strongly criticised fresh government plans to hold inquests behind closed doors.

Justice secretary Jack Straw this week reintroduced proposals ministers had previously scrapped to hold inquests could be held in secret and without juries in cases involving national security.

Under the new proposals, the Home Secretary may declare that an inquest should be held in secret if he believes an investigation will concern or involve a matter which should not be made public and that no other measures would be adequate to stop it becoming public.

But the move has sparked protests from anti-secrecy campaigners who believe they are a recipe for cover-ups.

Bob Satchwell, executive director of the Society of Editors said: “The final duty of any democratic state is to investigate sudden death of any of its citizens. That should not be compromised – particularly if there is a suggestion that secrecy could be used to cover up the mistakes of government.

“There are ways in which material relating to national security can be dealt with without compromising a system that has served this country, and its citizens, well for centuries.”

Justice Minister Jack Straw unveiled the this week which contained watered-down versions of the inquest plans which the Government dropped from counter-terrorism legislation before Christmas.

The Coroners and Justice Bill Bill published this week lists a series of reasons why material should not be made public including national security, the relationship between the UK and another country, or preventing or detecting crime.

But there is also a catch-all provision which says an inquest can be held in secret and without a jury if it is necessary “otherwise in order to prevent real harm to the public interest”.

This could cover a case in which police feared that evidence disclosed in public could imperil an investigation.

Inquests to be held in secret and without juries would have to be conducted by a High Court judge appointed for the purpose by the Lord Chief Justice.

The Home Secretary would have to give bereaved families 14 days’ notice of the decision to impose secrecy and that decision would be subject to judicial review.

Comments

Paddy (16/01/2009 07:22:23)
Another u-turn by this incompetent and conniving Governemnt.