In August, Fahad Ansari, a lawyer specialising in national security cases, was detained for three hours under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act at Holyhead Port.
Police seized his work phone with 15 years of confidential client data, despite his warnings this breached legal privilege.
In this interview, Fahad describes how police demanded his passcode under threat of a terrorism charge, asked bizarre questions about his mosque attendance, hobbies and political views. They even tried to access his daughter’s phone the next day.
He explains why this case is not just about him, but about the future of client confidentiality and the right to legal representation.
The UN Human Rights Council and the UN Special Rapporteur have already condemned what happened, calling it a shocking attack on the independence of lawyers.
To support Fahad’s legal costs, there is a crowdfunder here: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/defend-legal-privilege/