Cage director charged under Terrorism Act after failing to hand over passwords | UK news | The Guardian
▻https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/17/cage-campaign-group-director-muhammed-rabbani-charged-under-terrorism-a
The international director of Cage, Muhammad Rabbani, has been charged under the Terrorism Act after refusing to hand over passwords to his laptop at Heathrow airport.
Rabbani, who regards it as a privacy v surveillance test case, said he intended to fight the charge. “I am innocent of these charges that have serious implications for journalists, lawyers and human rights,” he said.
He is due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on 20 June.
Rabbani, 35, from London, is involved through Cage in investigating torture cases. He said he was stopped at Heathrow in November returning from one of the Gulf states where he had been investigating a torture case allegedly involving the US.
He said he handed over his laptop and mobile phone but refused to provide his passwords. Although not a lawyer, he said the laptop contained information about the case and the client refused permission to release it. Rabbani was then arrested.
A spokesman for Cage said Rabbani was charged with wilfully obstructing or seeking to frustrate a search examination under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which gives border officials sweeping search powers.