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Comment by jsmcgd | Hacker News Reader

"While Privacy International intended to file the Prism claim in the Administrative Court, which would have made the proceedings public, Government lawyers, upon receiving notice of our intention, vociferously notified us that we could not bring such a claim in the Administrative Court. Rather, the claim has been forced to be filed with the IPT, a secret tribunal that does not make its proceeding public or have to justify reasons for its decisions."

So what's the point then? It would be very easy to lean on a few tribunal members, and with no pressure in the opposite direction, which way we do reasonably expect them to act? They will side with intelligence services and we won't know why. Very unsatisfactory.

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> or have to justify reasons for its decisions.

Whoa. What kind of a tribunal is that?

This is dystopian beyond words. Even in the fifties, the most outrageous, crime-filed years of communism, the People's Tribunals still justified their decisions. It was a facade -- everyone knew it was bollocks -- but all decisions were motivated.

I get private hearings (e.g. for security reasons, both the state's and the personal security of those who participate in them); they are used in many countries. But not having to publish a motivation for a decision, that's... beyond words.

> Whoa. What kind of a tribunal is that?

"in the period 2000 to 2009, five out of at least 956 complaints made have been upheld", says https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigatory_Powers_Tribunal#...

A bunch of women who were conned into having relationships with, and in some cases having the children of, undercover police officers are currently fighting a case behind closed doors in the IPT, which presumably will not find in their favour. I imagine the IPT's purpose is to present an additional obstacle before they can go to the European Court of Human Rights. It's fucked up.

Yeah, I don't get it. So they are going to argue against secret laws, at at ... secret tribunal?

That seems very hopeless to me.

Democracy is founded on the principle of an informed public. Secret laws and secret courts are the absolute antithesis of democracy.

I just had to say that. Hi government. Please don't come after me. (But no-one will know that you did if you do).

I'm surprised they listened to the "vociferous" Government lawyers, presumably they were compelled? It's a shame so much of UK law has been swept under the carpet with stuff like this.

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