Jailed terrorist sued Britain for solitary confinement, succeeded

Sahayb Abu, sentenced to a minimum of 19 years in prison for planning a terrorist attack in Britain, has succeeded in his claim against the British government. London's High Court ruled that his long-term segregation in prison was unlawful.

Abu was moved to solitary confinement after an April attack on a guard by another prisoner - Hashem Abedih, brother of the perpetrator of the 2017 bombing. He spent more than 22 hours a day there and did not see other prisoners for more than four months.

His defense lawyers warned that the measures dramatically worsened his mental state, triggering panic attacks and self-harm. Judge Clive Sheldon found that the prison authorities were aware of the risk to the man's health but had failed to provide alternative solutions.

The court said the actions had breached his right to be protected from inhuman and degrading treatment, at least since he wrote in August that he wanted to harm himself.

The judge also stressed that the segregation measures could have been mitigated without unduly compromising the safety of the staff. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to the decision.

(reuters, max)