Liberticide? France plans to use swine flu to gut laws

In case of a swine flu pandemic the French government has a plan to introduce emergency measures that would gut legal protections for citizens, the daily Liberation reported Tuesday.
According to documents provided to the daily by a judges and prosecutors’ union, the plan would extend the period police can keep a suspect in detention without charge or a hearing before a judge to up to six months.Suspects would also not be able to contact a lawyer until after spending 24 hours in custody.Under the plan children could be tried in adult courts and more trials held behind closed doors...