Campaigners call for end to control orders

Control orders were established in 2005 and allow terror suspects to be indefinitely tagged, confined to their homes and banned from communicating with others - all without police interview, charge or trial.

Restrictions have included lengthy curfews and bans on unauthorised visitors and internet access.

Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti said that the system undermined the best traditions of British justice and did nothing to protect the public from terrorist attacks.

"The end of control orders is long overdue," she argued. "Established as a quick political fix in 2005, they have achieved neither justice for suspects nor security for the British public. Only charges, evidence and proof will protect our lives and our way of life in the long term."

And Campaign Against Criminalising Communities has sent an open letter to the home secretary signed by more than 100 activists, politicians and professionals calling on him to scrap control orders.

The letter states that the orders have "damaged the reputation of the United Kingdom and do irreparable harm to the fabric of justice in this country."

Signatories include human rights lawyer Louise Christian, Green MEP Caroline Lucas, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers chairwoman Liz Davies and former Guantanamo prisoner and activist Moazzam Begg.

Cerie Bullivant, who was on a control order for two years, said: "My life changed beyond recognition. Friends turned against me and people were afraid.

"The control order grew more and more restrictive - it began with forced residence, no travelling and daily signing in at a police station and ended up with tagging, curfews, no studying and forced unemployment."

The control order was based on secret evidence that neither Mr Bullivant nor his lawyer were allowed to see.

When his control order was quashed in March 2008, the High Court judge said there were no reasonable grounds to suspect he was involved in terrorism.