The British “Guardian” newspaper said that a hearing in a security court revealed that the MI6 intelligence agencies and the government communication headquarters,GCHQ They may have unlawfully allowed whistleblowers to commit serious crimes in the UK.
The revelation came as a summary of a previously closed ruling was issued by the Investigative Powers Court, which oversees complaints against government surveillance and espionage operations..
The verdict said the agency informants, known as classified human intelligence sources (CHIS) , They may have been allowed to ‘engage in criminal activity in the UK’, and raised the question of ‘whether this behavior is legal“.
The court heard that British intelligence was operating with this policy even though Parliament granted the spy agency powers to break the law only abroad, under Article 7 of the Intelligence Services Act.
The evidence emerged in a case brought by a coalition of civil liberties groups including Reprieve, the Pat Finucane Center, Privacy International and the Justice Administration Committee. (CAJ) In Belfast.
The newspaper said the case revolves around what is known as the “third trend,” guidelines that allow intelligence service agents to engage in criminal behavior, which was revealed in 2018..
Ben Jaffe, who represents civil liberties groups, told the court: “Until yesterday morning we had no idea whatsoever that [MI6] or GCHQ They deemed they had the power to commit a crime in the UK it was very hard to believe that was happening.
He added: “The intelligence service and the government liaison office cannot carry out criminal acts in the United Kingdom, as the third trend refers only to the Homeland Security Service. [MI5]. There is no provision for overseeing the crime by the foreign intelligence service and the government communication headquarters. I couldn’t believe this would happen without legal oversight, as this is a pretty foolproof violation of the [الاتفاقية الأوروبية لحقوق الإنسان]. “
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