British charity slams EU crackdown plans

British charity Fair Trials Abroad has warned that the increased security measures endorsed by the European Union’s justice ministers could affect the civil rights of innocent civilians.

In an open letter to the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the charity said fast-track extradition, search and arrest warrants will lead to injustice in the EU.

"Over the coming months, it is inevitable that many innocent British and other European citizens, mainly of Arabic roots or connections, will be required for questioning by the authorities and eventually eliminated from inquiries," the letter said.

"The Eurowarrant would not only expose increasing numbers of innocent citizens from EU countries to such abuse of their fundamental rights, but they would also have been uprooted from their own country to spend weeks, if not months, in a foreign prison whilst the investigation goes on."