Comparing the perceived threat of terrorism with the protection of human rights and civil liberties, our 16-year-old writer presents the story of 17 Muslim men detained for years without charge or trial. She finds the Belmarsh case is as relevant as ever. Are we creating new dangers by exaggerating the threat of terrorism? Belmarsh case illustration by Beatrice Florence Taylor Comparing the perceived threat of terrorism with the protection of human rights and civil liberties, our 16-year-old writer presents the story of 17 Muslim men detained for years without charge or trial. She finds the Belmarsh case is as relevant as ever. Abigail Pope is the winner of the University of Bristol’s first annual Writing Wrongs Schools’ Competition, inspired by the Centre for Human Rights in Practice. This is her winning article which she reworked with editorial support from Lacuna Magazine. Imagine that one night, while you are sleeping soundly at home, your house is broken into. Your first thought in the commotion is that burglars have come to seize your possessions, but instead it is police officers who barge into your bedroom. You are transported to a high security facility, where you are detained for reasons of “national security”. You are suspected of being involved in terrorism, although precisely what you’re believed to have done is unknown. You are kept in your cell for hours on end, unable to protest against your conditions or defend yourself, with no access to legal representation.