Midlands firm seeks judicial review of Government for its failure in Yemen

A BIRMINGHAM firm is taking the Government to judicial review over eight British citizens facing trial in Yemen.

Natalia Garcia, a civil liberties lawyer at nine-partner Tyndallwoods, says: "A legal aid application is currently being lodged as a matter of urgency, and the next stage will be to instruct counsel on the merits of the case."

Garcia believes the Government will have a case to answer on the basis of its inaction on behalf of the Britons, who are being held on terrorism charges. They are accused of being members of an armed group.

If allowed to proceed, the judicial review will claim the Government has failed to intervene following serious breaches of the Yemeni constitution, Yemeni criminal law and breaches of international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The case is expected to be listed on a priority basis for an oral hearing at the High Court.