page_title: Scotland Against Criminalising Communities
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Scotland Against Criminalising Communities / Background
caption_attribution_description: Moazzam Begg, Omar Degahyes and Chris Arendt, Two sides One Story in Edinburgh 2009
context_page_description: Scotland Against Criminalising Communities is a voluntary grassroots organisation that campaigns against Britain's terrorism laws, including detention without charge or trial, and other laws that have the effect of criminalising political activity. SACC works in solidarity with those communities most affected by the anti-terrorism laws and it has also campaigned on a number of other human rights issues closely related to the 'war on terror'. SACC argues that terrorism laws are unnecessary and unjust and crimes connected with terrorism are better dealt with by ordinary criminal law. Richard Haley, SACC's chair, argues that the British government's international politics adversely influences the administration of justice in Scotland.
context_section_description: SACC was established in early 2003 in response to the arrest of Algerian men at Hogmanay in Edinburgh on terrorism charges, which were subsequently dropped.
  SACC is affiliated to Britain's Stop the War campaign and endorses the call for UK Troops to come home from Afghanistan immediately. Since its inception SACC has been closely linked to Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC). In 2005 a submission from Ann Alexander, Scotland Against Criminalising Communities appears as Appendix 9 of the twelfth report of session 2005/6 of the UK Joint Committee on Human Rights about the inhumane treatment of 4 men under house arrest (control order) in the south of England. SACC campaigns against the use of extended detention without charge or trial in the UK and overseas and, controversially, its website provides postal details of prisoners so held in order that individuals can write to them.
  
  SACC is also affiliated to Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and a number of other organisations.  Cageprisoners is a human rights group that SACC regularly works with and together they organised the Scottish leg of a speaking tour, Two Sides One Story, by two former Guantanamo detainees Moazzam Begg, Omar Deghayes and a former Guantanamo guard Christopher Arendt. The tour was arranged to highlight that more needed to be done to encourage President Obama to honour his failed pledge to close Guantanamo and other black sites where people are allegedly rendered and tortured.
caption: Moazzam Begg, Omar Deghayes, Chris Arendt, Two Sides One Story in Edinburgh 2009
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