John Hemming fears new gagging order could see journalists imprisoned

John Hemming, the Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley, is stepping up his campaign against the extraordinary injunctions being granted by British courts these days.

According to a report on the Guardian website this afternoon, John is concerned about a new breed of injunction, used in relation to a case in the high court in London last week, which means journalists could face gaol simply for asking questions.

The newspaper quotes him as saying:

"This goes a step further than preventing people speaking out against injustice. It has the effect of preventing journalists from speaking to people subject to this injunction without a risk of the journalist going to jail. That is a recipe for hiding miscarriages of justice ... It puts any investigative journalist at risk if they ask any questions of a victim of a potential miscarriage of justice … I don't think this should be allowed in English courts."

John is launching an inquiry in parliament into excess court secrecy. He is planning to collect a range of gagging orders and then present to the justice select committee in a number of Parliamentary petitions later this year.

Anna Raccoon recently investigated the use of injunctions in an attempt to prevent people approaching their own MP for help.