| November 1996 |
Chahal v UK is heard by the European Court of Human Rights
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| December 1997 | The Special Immigration Appeals Commission was established pursuant to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission Act 1997, which was brought forward in response to the cases of Chahal (and Loutchansky). The Act includes provisions for use of Special Advocates in SIAC hearings
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| November 1998 | Human Rights Act 1998 is given Royal Assent, effectively incorporating into English law the European Convention on Human Rights
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| December 2000 | Terrorism Act 2000 is given Royal Assent
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| September 2001 | Passenger jets are hijacked and flown into the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC
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| October 2001 | The Patriot Act is passed by the US Senate providing broad definitions of terrorism, and increased powers to deal with terrorists in the USA
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| December 2001 | Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 is given Royal Assent. A 'technical state of emergency' is declared in the UK allowing the Act to derogate from the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights
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| January 2003 | Lord Carlile of Berriew QC reported on the operation of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
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| December 2003 | The Privy Counsellor Review Committee under Lord Newton delivers its report on Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. The committee "strongly recommends that the Part IV powers which allow foreign nationals to be detained potentially indefinitely should be replaced as a matter of urgency"
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| February 2004 | House of Commons debates the findings of the Newton Report and the Carlile Report and votes to keep the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 intact. The legislation goes to the House of Lords
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| March 2004 | Court of Appeal upholds the SIAC ruling in the case of "M", granting bail. The House of Lords votes to keep Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 intact
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| April 2004 | SIAC grants bail to detainee G
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| July 2004 | High Court turns down the appeals against SIAC ruling for 10 of the remaining 12 detainees
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| December 2004 | The case of A v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2004] is heard by the House of Lords which rules that Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 s23, and the derogation from Article 5 European Convention on Human Rights which underpins it, is discriminatory, disproportionate and therefore is incompatible with the Human Rights Act
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| January 2005 | Home Secretary announces his intention to release the detainees from prison, and to replace current scheme with a provision for the 'house arrest' of all suspects, both national and non-national. He also details plans to introduce new legislation to cover British terrorist suspects
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| February 2005 | One of the detainees, a man known as 'C', who had been detained for three years' was released from Woodhill prison, without any conditions, whilst the Government agreed to release a second a second detainee, Abu Rideh, subject to conditions
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| March 2005 | Parliament passes the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005
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