InfoAnda - Britain's tough justice alarms campaigners |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Taking aim at Google, Apple buys mobile ad firm | 6 January 2010
'Hezbollah' accused allege torture in Egypt jail | 24 August 2009
Lindsay Lohan tweets that she failed drug test | | 18 September 2010

Suu Kyi official freed from house arrest in Myanmar | | 13 February 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Britain's tough justice alarms campaigners |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Green Business Legal Deals Earnings Summits Business Video Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia Afghan Journal Africa Journal India Insight Global News Journal Pakistan: Now or Never? World Video Politics Politics Home Front Row Washington Politics Video Technology Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland Felix Salmon Breakingviews George Chen Bernd Debusmann Gregg Easterbrook James Pethokoukis James Saft John Wasik Christopher Whalen Ian Bremmer Mohamed El-Erian Lawrence Summers The Great Debate Unstructured Finance Newsmaker MuniLand Money Money Home Analyst Research Global Investing MuniLand Reuters Money Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Life & Culture Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Left Field Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Article Comments (12) Video Editor's Choice World Bank calls Horn of Africa famine manmade Giant South American rodent spotted in California Sony reduces PlayStation price to revive sales Cigarette makers sue FDA over labeling rules Did "gustnado" topple Indiana stage? Baidu may face tougher rules after media criticism Analysis: Soon you may see a rig off Virginia Business Traveller: Staying streetwise Video: Date-rape drug detector offers safety Slideshow: Glacial view Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read UPDATE 2-Abercrombie & Fitch wants clothes off Jersey Shore 7:17pm EDT UPDATE 3-White House denounces Perry as Republicans target Fed 16 Aug 2011 Confederate plates could be touchy issue for Perry 16 Aug 2011 Obama hears voter worries, uses bus to gain distance from DC 5:14pm EDT Analysis: India risks facing its own Arab Spring 5:35pm EDT Discussed 232 UPDATE 3-White House denounces Perry as Republicans target Fed 204 Appeals court rules against Obama healthcare law 176 Stop coddling the super-rich: Buffett Watched KISS booted from Jackson concert, "Housewives" husband found dead Tue, Aug 16 2011 Backyards for rent in New York City Tue, Aug 16 2011 Tourist protection in Thailand Tue, Aug 16 2011 Britain's tough justice alarms campaigners Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Cracking down on gangs not sole answer to riots 2:31pm EDT Analysis & Opinion Evidence of a News Corp coverup mounts Staying streetwise Related Topics World » Technology » Media » Facebook » Related Video UK men get four years for Facebook riot messages 12:27pm EDT Police officers lead away a man following a raid on a property in Pimlico London August 11, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Anthony Devlin/Pool By Mohammed Abbas LONDON | Wed Aug 17, 2011 3:00pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - Tough prison sentences such as four years for trying to organize a riot via Facebook have triggered alarm in Britain that the government's crackdown over last week's unrest may be too harsh. Britain's Conservative Party, which leads a coalition government, has promised tough action following four nights of violence in London and other cities to mend what it has described as Britain's broken society. Civil liberties groups, legal experts and some politicians however say that disproportionate sentencing could only fuel a sense of injustice. "There's no doubt that in certain circumstances a firm sentence is required," said John Cooper, a senior crime and civil liberties barrister. "What concerns me is that the whole range of the sentencing process has been unduly and disproportionately cranked up ... influenced implicitly or explicitly by public opinion." Many people in Britain are outraged over last week's rioting and looting that caused widespread damage and was linked to the deaths of at least four people. Some agree with harsh sentencing, but worry they have been imposed under political pressure. "You should judge every individual case on its merits and every person on the basis of what they've actually done, rather than this creep toward .... judicial activism, where politicians put undue influence on the judiciary," said Daniel Hamilton, director of Big Brother Watch, which campaigns for civil liberties. DISPROPORTIONATE PUNISHMENTS In London, more than 1,000 people have been charged with crimes connected to the riots, which also spread to the cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol. On Wednesday, media reported that a young man had been given a four-year jail term for setting up a page on social networking site Facebook calling on people to riot in his home town. Another young man received the same sentence elsewhere in England for a similar offence. No riots broke out in the areas the men came from, and one media report said one of the young men had woken with a hangover the next day, deleted the web page and apologized. "It's very tempting for everybody to get carried away with the rhetoric and saying we should round up these monsters and deal with them draconically. What you're going to get if you start sentencing disproportionately is all sorts of anomalies," said Roger Smith, director of law reform group Justice. He compared the young men's four-year prison term to a likely two years for breaking someone's leg in an assault. Media outlets reported than one man had been jailed for six months for stealing bottled water worth 3.5 pounds ($5.78) from a supermarket looted during the riots. Britain's Criminal Bar Association said that while it would be wrong to punish all crimes harshly because they were committed during the riots, judges and magistrates should be allowed to give higher sentences for a crime depending on the context in which it was committed. "Judges are entitled to conclude that these crimes have a number of aggravating features, born from the circumstances of the case, which mean that the sentences can and should be higher," the body's Vice Chairman Max Hill said in a statement. But others argue that harsh sentencing for less serious crimes devalues punishments for more serious offences. The Conservatives have defended the harsh sentencing, saying the sentences should act as a deterrent to others. "What happened on our streets was absolutely appalling behavior and to send a very clear message that it's wrong and it won't be tolerated is what our criminal justice system should be doing," Prime Minister David Cameron said. But even his coalition partners the Liberal Democrats are distancing themselves from his approach. For less serious crimes, they advocate punishments such as helping to repair riot damage and being forced to meet victims of the disorder. "Short prison sentences for relatively petty offences go against the Ministry of Justice's own evidence that shows that short prison sentences are very ineffective at reducing reoffending," said Tom Brake, co-chair of the party's committee on home affairs, justice and equalities. Other critics say also say the zero tolerance approach could be self defeating, given that Britain's prisons are already overflowing at a time of strained public finances. "We have doubled our prison population since the mid-1990s and seen tougher and tougher measures introduced each year, with an abundance of criminal justice legislation. Yet despite all this, the outcome of being 'tough on crime' was some of the worst street disturbances seen in decades," said Andrew Neilson of the Howard League of Penal Reform. (Additional reporting by Stephen Addison; Editing by Maria Golovnina) World Technology Media Facebook Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (12) DCRocks wrote: The rioters should be charged with committing acts of terrorism, and sentenced accordingly 4 years for working to plan a riot on Facebook is FAR to light IMO, given the riots lead to deaths and widespread terrorizing of the local communities Aug 17, 2011 1:38pm EDT -- Report as abuse PAndrews wrote: >>FAR to light IMO, given the riots lead to deaths and widespread terrorizing of the local communities You cannot write basic English (it’s “too” not “to”). Nor, apparently, can you read. No riots were started as a result of these Facebook pages. Or do you, in all seriousness, think that putting up a Facebook page which everyone ignored and which was removed the next day is somehow equivalent to, say, killing somebody because you are driving while drunk? Many people carry out *far* more serious crimes – killing and abusing animals, for example – without even receiving a prison sentence. Thug rule is thug rule whether it’s on the streets on in the courts. Aug 17, 2011 2:58pm EDT -- Report as abuse Sunken-monkey wrote: @ DCRocks I for one don’t advocate any violence especially against innocent people but trying them as tourists would be ridiculous. Granted most of those people are just caught up in the feeling of the moment but don’t forget out started because of the polices own brutality. .french revolution, american civil war, and the american independence warfor freedom from britain were all illegal at their own times.but they brought about needed change. Aug 17, 2011 3:15pm EDT -- Report as abuse See All Comments » Add Your Comment Social Stream (What's this?) Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Mobile Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Contact Us Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Thursday, 18 August 2011
Kobe Bryant in middle of church, summer league drama
Detroit Lions defensive end Ndamukong Suh fined $20K by NFL
U.K. unemployment rises to 7.9%
Kelly Clarkson unveils new album name, release date
Brain-eating amoebas blamed in deaths
Dell forecasts weaker sales
Kansas lawsuit seeks to overturn ban on insurance-funded abortions
Dozen missing in Nepal boat capsize
Florida teen arrested for planning to blow up high school that expelled him
Mark O'Meara defends title at Senior Players Championship
Gerard Depardieu urinates on plane
Britain's tough justice alarms campaigners |
Egypt's revived anti-graft law may net Mubarak |
Ailing Serena withdraws, Wozniacki falls in Cincy; Nadal, Murray into third round
Supporters of anti-corruption activist stage protests across India
Hariri indictment says phones link suspects to killing |
'Skins Malcolm Kelly not in middle of wideout competition due to injury
Briton dies from shark attack in Seychelles
Britain says 400,000 Somali children at risk of death |
Turkish warplanes attack PKK targets in Iraq |
Analysis: Peru's indigenous losing faith in reformed Humala |
Apple, Qualcomm, others eye InterDigital |
Nokia CEO says watch out to Android phone makers |
AT&T sues customers seeking to block T-Mobile deal |
Sina profit slips in second quarter |
Microsemi takes bid for Zarlink hostile |
Writers' settlement with publishers thrown out |
Verizon strike should slow NYC deal: City officials |
Britain's tough justice alarms campaigners |
Militant makes death threat against David Letterman |
Box office heading toward record despite economy |
Richard Gere to sell guitar collection at auction |
Coroner confirms Real Housewives husband suicide |
Black Eyed Peas reschedule Central Park concert |
Abercrombie & Fitch wants clothes off Jersey Shore |
Fox says Jennifer Lopez back for American Idol |
James Patterson easily tops highest paid authors |
Pablo Milanes' Miami concert plan drums up discord |
Libya rebels fight for refineries; U.S. sends drones |
Syria's Assad says to stop police operations: U.N. |
Indian activist Anna Hazare to launch public fast |
Blast kills 20, wounds 12 in Afghanistan's Herat |
Justin time: Morneau's clutch ninth-inning single lifts Twins past Tigers
Chavez to nationalize Venezuelan gold industry |
TO says he's healthy, ready when team comes calling for wideout
Analysis: South Korea's conservatives in crisis over policy |
Youth Laser radial champ to race at sailing event in Newport
Juneau angler’s small fry hooks biggest win at salmon derby in Alaska
30 dead in new Karachi violence; gang wars blamed |
BoSox slugger David Ortiz to sit a week due to heel pain; Rays blank BoSox
Washington renews calls for release of human rights attorney in China
Kim goes sailing as North Koreans seek food: report |
Washington places travel restrictions on Syrian diplomats
Jim's jack: Thome rips 601st career homer; Twins-Tigers tied 1-1 in fifth
Turkish warplanes hit 60 PKK targets in Iraq: army |
Matthew McConaughey gets job as stripper in new movie
Neil Armstrong rallies Afghan troops |
How The Merger Of Two Health Care Giants May Affect Your Wallet
HP's CEO needs to convince wary Wall Street |
China Mobile profit grows quickest in 3 years on high-end users |
Lenovo Q1 gains overshadowed by PC market concerns |
Microsoft/Motorola lawsuit moved to Seattle |
California Supreme Court turns down Phil Spector appeal |
Militant makes death threat against David Letterman |
"RuPaul's Drag Race" winner Tyra Sanchez arrested for marijuana possession
Gunmen kill 7 in Israel in attack near Egypt border |
Violence threatens children's health in Yemen
Brazil's Rousseff scrambles to control ally rebellion |
Yani Tseng headlines field at LPGA Safeway Classic
IBM unveils cognitive thinking chips
French media reveals details behind Lagarde inquiry |
Initial jobless claims again rise above 400,000 mark
Gulf markets worry about oil outlook
David Cross, Amber Tamblyn get engaged
On trial Ukraine ex-PM Tymoshenko requests doctor |
'Jersey Shore' star Vinny Guadagnino named new face of Phillips Norelco
UK police arrest Hollywood reporter over hacking |
S&P affirms France to keep AAA rating
Bloody attack along Egyptian border reveals weakening control
Berlin loses sleep over car arson attacks at night |
GameStop's profit falls on weak sales, shares drop |
LG Elec cuts TV sales target by 20 percent: report |
NetApp nosedives on tech spending worries |
Man pleads to sexual battery over Match.com date |
Mosaid deal would create global patent power: WiLan |
Betty White voted America's most trusted celebrity: poll |
Top Europe reggae festival opens, Marley family stars |
Abercrombie & Fitch wants clothes off Jersey Shore |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01