28 days good, 13 days bad

Three people, two Britons and an Australian, have been telling reporters about their ordeal, held for 13 days without trial or charge in Iran.

Rupert and Linda Wise and Paul Shulton were seized by the Iranian Navy as they sailed from their home in Dubai to an island in the Persian Gulf. The ownership of the island is currently under dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates. For days they were held without any clear idea of the reason for their detention and were unable to contact consular officials or their families. 'We were kept under lock and key, not allowed out, armed guards outside, guards inside, for the full period of our detention. We were hostages', said Mr Wise. Clearly, this must have been a distressing time for these three people, with the fear that their detention would be used as an excuse to cobble together a case against them for some wider political purpose.

Their story sheds a timely light on the decision of the House of Commons to double the period of detention without charge in terrorism cases to 28 days from the current 14 days. Apparently, being held for 13 days under armed guard in Iran is a terrible ordeal, with the insinuation that a miscarriage of justice could occur and rights are being violated. But being held for 28 days under armed guard at Paddington Green police station is a victory for civil liberties and a proportionate response to the current terrorist threat. On the other hand, it could just be a blatant case of double standards.

British 'hostages' freed in Iran, BBC News, 11 November 2005