British law could breach rights convention: Council of Europe

Council of Europe deputies rounded Friday on plans by Britain to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge, warning the legislation could lead to arbitrary arrests.

"A lack of appropriate procedural safeguards may lead to arbitrariness," said a statement unanimously adopted by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE).

The parliament also expressed "serious doubts" whether the draft legislation conformed with the European Convention on Human Rights and said it was "not appropriate" for British deputies to be involved in such issues.

"The decision to maintain a person in custody is a judicial function with respect to which a legislative, political body should, as a matter of principle, have no say," the text added.

MPs narrowly backed government plans in June to increase the pre-charge detention period for militant suspects from 28 days to 42.

However the legislation still has to clear the upper House of Lords, where there is strong opposition, to get on to the statute books.

Senior legal figures in Britain, including the top prosecutors have also voiced concern at the plans.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's predecessor Tony Blair tried unsuccessfully to increase pre-charge detention limits from the then maximum 14 days to 90 days after bomb attacks in London in July 2005 that killed 56, including the four bombers.