High Court rules Raed Salah is ‘entitled to damages for wrongful detention’

LONDON (PIC)-- A High Court judge, Mr Justice Nicol, granted Shaykh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement in 1948 occupied Palestine permission to appeal endorsing the view that Shaykh Salah was right to demand a judicial review into the legality of his detention.

Whilst refusing the judicial review on the grounds of policy and legal purpose the Judge ruled that Shaykh Salah was illegally detained and ‘entitled to damages for wrongful detention’.

In a press statement issued on Friday by the Middle East Monitor (MEMO), the organization welcomed the High Court ruling.

MEMO’s director, Dr Daud Abdullah said, ‘this important judgment sends a clear message to the political authorities; that the British legal system must not be used as an instrument to suppress fundamental rights and free speech.’

Shaykh Salah’s solicitor Tayab Ali said ‘We welcome the Court’s finding that Shaykh Salah was wrongfully detained and that he should be compensated for that. We are however disappointed that the Judge refused the judicial review in respect of the statutory purpose and policy. This is a worrying first step towards a policy of preventative detention for acts that have not even been contemplated yet’.

Shaykh Raed Salah was arrested from his hotel on 28th June, the night before he spoke in parliament on the subject of Jerusalem. The Israeli lobby in the UK strenuously petitioned the government to do anything ‘to prevent him from attending’. Emails disclosed in Court have revealed that the Home Secretary took just 17 minutes to decide to prevent Shaykh Salah attending and speaking in parliament in response to an unverified and inaccurate advice from the Community Security Trust

High Court rules Raed Salah is ‘entitled to damages for wrongful detention’