Europe

UK police using pre-charge bail to silence protests

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A recent report says police forces in the United Kingdom have been using pre-charge bail to silence protest movements in Britain.

According to figures obtained by The Guardian, around 85 percent of those barred from protesting when bailed were not charged with a crime.

“Bail is becoming an instrument that is being used by people without recourse to the judicial process. It is to essentially punish protesters and curb their right to demonstrate,” leading human rights law firm Bindmans’ Rachel Harger said.

The data, collected using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), suggest that the Metropolitan Police have banned around 500 people since 2008, with about only 15 ever having been charged.

At least 732 people have also been banned by police forces in England and Wales since 2008, with none having been charged.

The Defend the Right to Protest said that the recent rise in the use of pre-charge bail against protesters was tied to the mass arrests and stringent conditions placed on demonstrations by police forces.

Under UK police bail rules, when a defendant is bailed without charge, he is allowed to leave the police station, usually under certain restrictions. The defendant is given a date to return to the police station. Police usually carry out their investigations during this time period to decide whether the defendant will be charged when he returns.

The British government says it is considering overhauling the police bail rules.

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