A British high court judge lifted a superinjunction designed to protect state secrets relating to a leak that endangered Afghans who assisted the UK. Initially set to last until December 2023, the superinjunction allowed years of government actions to remain undisclosed. The Conservative and Labour governments authorized over 850 million for a resettlement program, bringing thousands of Afghans and families to the UK. This landmark case of the government's unprecedented use of superinjunctions raises concerns about transparency and the extent of legal mechanisms available to maintain state secrecy.
The superinjunction originally expected to remain in force from September to December 2023 kept details of a national scandal hidden from public scrutiny for years, showcasing national security's use as legal cover for a political crisis.
Both Conservative and Labour governments will spend 850 million in response to the leak, resulting in thousands of Afghans and their families being brought to the UK through a secret resettlement programme.
Mr Justice Chamberlain acknowledged the unprecedented nature of this case, marking the first superinjunction granted on the government's application and the first made contra mundum.
The use of superinjunctions for national security matters indicates a significant expansion of the government's legal authority to restrict information that could be potentially harmful or embarrassing.
#superinjunction #national-security #government-accountability #afghan-resettlement #transparency-issues
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