Ex-Home Secretary Amber Rudd backs treason laws update to prosecute terrorists
1 min read
Ex-Home Secretary Amber Rudd has backed proposals to prosecute jihadists who have fought in Syria under updated treason laws.
The Treason Act of 1351 should be revised and used to send terrorists to jail amid fears current laws are not good enough, a new report has said.
The archaic law has not been used since 1946, when William Joyce was hanged for assisting Nazi Germany.
But Policy Exchange argues a new treason offence would “mark out treasonous acts” and allow courts to impose “justifiably severe punishment” for jihadists.
Ms Rudd - who stood down as home secretary in April this year in the wake of the Windrush scandal - endorsed the proposals.
She said: "As a former Home Secretary, I appreciate the threats we face as a nation.
“The time has come for us to consider additional measures, such as those set out in this report, that we need to deal with those who betray this country."
The findings were also backed by former MI5 boss Lord Evans and Lord Judge, the former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.
It comes after Home Secretary Sajid Javid told the US he would not block the use of the death penalty for two British-born jihadis set to face trial in the country.
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