Aamer Anwar, the human rights lawyer who represented Mohammed Atif Siddique (see here and here), is to face 3 High Court judges on a contempt of court charge in relation to remarks he made after the trial.

Aamer was reported as saying that Mohammed Siddique did not receive a fair trial and the trial took place in an “atmosphere of hostility”, also describing the trial outcome as a “tragedy for justice” and that the prosecution was “driven by the State”.

Lord Carloway said that “the statement seems to be an attack on the fairness of the trial and thus presumably an attack on the court itself”.

In sentencing Siddique to 8 years, a message was undoubtedly being sent to angry young Muslims not to step out of line. Is Aamer Anwar now about to pay the price for questioning the British state’s increasingly draconian powers?

BBC News report, 6 November 2007

See also Scotland Against Criminalising Communities open letter.