"As a solicitor from Ireland, seeing this in black and white was chilling: it echoes a dark period when the British state targeted lawyers for representing members of another proscribed group [the IRA]."
"By trying to intimidate lawyers like me, the British state is effectively seeking to strip my clients of their voice in court."
"The claimant is not a member of Hamas. His only association with the organisation is his instruction as their solicitor in the de-proscription proceedings lodged in April 2025."
"What I had intended to write was that Mr Ansari worked as a solicitor for Hamas, and not that he was a member of this group."
Fahad Ansari, a lawyer representing Hamas, was detained under the Terrorism Act upon returning to the UK. A police risk assessment inaccurately labeled him as a member of Hamas. Ansari argues that this mischaracterization and the handling of his phone data violated his rights. He expressed concerns about the implications for legal representation, likening the situation to past state actions against lawyers for representing proscribed groups. A detective inspector later clarified that the intention was to indicate Ansari's role as a solicitor, not as a member of Hamas.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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