Tom Griffin (London, OK): The long awaited inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes is set to open at the Oval in South London on 22 September.
The Justice4Jean Campaign has this week released a briefing on the upcoming hearing. Although it welcomes what will be the first opportunity for the Menezes family to question witnesses, it also highlights the family's concerns that public interest immunity could be used to withhold evidence, and that many witnesses will be anonymous:
Following applications by the police, the Coroner has already granted anonymity to almost fifty police officers. The move, which was opposed by several media organisations means that the officers will give evidence behind screens and will be given codenames hiding their identity from the public. In response to the family's concerns around transparency and accountability, provisions have been made for the family to see the officers giving evidence. But campaigners for the family continue to call for such blanket anonymity to be lifted as they fear it hinders public scrutiny of public officials and could affect the quality of evidence provided. It is very hard to believe that all of these officers need such a high level of protection. Rather it seems the Metropolitan police continue to promote tactics that would ensure that named individuals evade responsibility for the deliberate killing of an innocent man.
What is remarkable is that in the face of such restrictions, the Government still apparently lacks confidence in the ability of the coroner's courts to safeguard the public interest. The Counter Terrorism Bill currently working its way through Parliament would give ministers extensive powers to remove juries from inquests, replacing them with specially-appointed coroners who would also be allowed to appoint special legal representatives to hear sensitive evidence on behalf of bereaved families.
For all its flaws, the de Menezes inquest may be the last opportunity to see the state publicly held to account over such a contentious death through this ancient English institution.
