'It really is psychological torture'

As British MP's prepare today to vote on whether or not to allow police to detain terrorist suspects for 42 days without charge, the Guardian have today published an interview with a 23 year old student held for a mere six days as a terrorist suspect.

"A minute goes like an hour and an hour like a day inside a cell … You lose all concept of day or night. There are no emotions: you can't cry, you can't laugh…

"Six days felt like six years. I dread to think what 42 days would feel like: 28 days is harsh enough … the idea of 42 days is phenomenal."

He came to the attention of the authorities when he clicked on an al-Qaida document online while researching his dissertation, which focused on the difference between various military organisations. The document was an edited version of the al-Qaida training manual, downloaded from a US government website.

So he was looking at a document which originated from a US government website and even looking at this document was enough to lead to his arrest. Why? Because he is a Muslim:

"They were quizzed by police for five hours … they said to my personal tutor that if this had been a young, blond, Swedish PhD student, then this would never have happened. The investigating officers were making these statements when I was detention."

So, he read this document and then emailed it to a friend who had access to a printer. On May 14 he met this friend for a coffee. He tells what happened next.

"After the coffee I put my stuff down and walked into the gents. As soon as I walked in, there were three policemen behind me saying 'Don't move! Don't Move! Who are you?' And I was like, 'I'm a student. Who are you?'

"They said: 'Well, we are police officers looking for someone who matches your description.'''

Shortly afterwards, they arrested him under section 41 of the Terrorism Act for the alleged commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism; Hisham Yezza had been arrested 10 minutes beforehand.

When Rizwaan reached the police station, the second floor had been entirely sealed off. It was, he said, like some form of solitary confinement.

"The restricted access made me feel like a real criminal. It felt like I was in the seventies - the lights were off and there was one table; all the cells were empty. I thought, 'What the hell is going on here?'"

For the first 48 hours, he was told nothing, but was placed under 24-hour surveillance.

''They watched everything you did and wrote it down. I would read a book and they would write down what I was reading. They would follow me when I had a shower and stand right there. You couldn't take one step out of the cell without someone following you. They would stop and do random searches of the cell. It was so humiliating

"Day six was the hardest. Knowing your life depends on a decision that someone else takes ... when you have done something with the most clean-hearted intention. It really is psychological torture.''

While he was under arrest his home, his car and his computer were all searched; the police made sure he was aware of this to increase the pressure upon him. And then, without warning he was released.

On the sixth day, without realising his freedom was imminent, he was told by a female police officer that the document he had looked at was deemed illegitimate for research purposes by the university, and if he ever looked at it again he could face further detention. He believed he was about to be charged.

He said: "It was breaking … absolutely terrifying, I was sitting there thinking, 'God, am I ever going to get out of here?'"

When told he was to be released without charge, he walked into the room to speak with his solicitor.

"I was shaking so violently I fell to the floor. I went back to the room and just cried and cried … Somehow, I had managed to get my emotions back.''

I can't imagine what it must be like to think that one might be detained for years when one has committed no crime. And yet that must be what this young man thought. After all, if they have arrested you and detained you when you have done nothing wrong, why wouldn't you think that they could take this injustice to the next level and actually jail you for having done nothing wrong?

Today Gordon Brown is attempting to raise the number of days that suspects can be held without charge to 42. There are rumoured to be almost 40 Labour MP's lined up to vote against him. If 36 vote against him, this will be enough to make his bill fail to pass in the Commons.

I am always pessimistic enough to believe that MP's will wilt at the final moment, but I really hope that the 40 hold their nerve.

Brown has not given one good reason as to why MP's should give police this draconian increase in their powers, and - lacking a good reason - this bill should be rejected.

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Tags: Gordon Brown, 42 day detention, Labour party, war on terror