Britain has Sentenced a Human Rights Activist for his Refusal to Reveal his Laptop Password

Westminster Regional Court in London has sentenced Human Rights Director of CAGE Organisation Muhammad Rabbani for violating anti-terror law because of his refusal to give police the password for his laptop.

According to the Daily Telegraph, 36-year-old Rabbani has been found guilty of "hindering the arrest and search forces", which is in violation of the country's counter-terrorism law. As a result, the court has decided to release the defendant conditionally for payment of GBP 830 fine.

On 20 November 2016, Rabbani landed in London after a trip to the Doha capital of Qatar, where he attended a wedding ceremony. However, Heathrow police authorities detained him and forced him to provide the password for his personal computer. Rabbani refused to comply with the order on the grounds that his laptop contained confidential information, disclosure of which would violate the privacy of his private life and professional activity.

Later before the court he said that the information in question refers to a citizen of Qatar, who, according to Rabani, has been tortured in a US prison for 12 or 13 years.

CAGE, headed by Rabbani, is based in London and is engaged in collecting information about individuals whose rights have been violated as a result of counter-terrorism policies in different countries. But in 2015, CAGE's reputation dropped sharply after it became clear that between 2009 and 2012 the organization had been in contact with a man named Muhammad Emwazi. The link was initiated by Emwazi, who contacted the organization, complaining about the daily harassment being illegally imprisoned in a British prison. In 2015, however, it becomes clear that behind this name is actually the "executioner" of the terrorist group "Islamic State", which...