[JURIST] The High Court in London ruled [text] Thursday that the British Treasury Department [official website] may not freeze the assets of suspected terrorists without going through Parliament first. Five UK terror suspects who had their assets frozen [BBC report] pursuant to two Orders in Council [backgrounder], the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 and the Al Qaeda and Taliban (United Nations Measures] Order 2006 [texts], challenged the financial sanctions.

The Orders implemented for the UK UN resolutions requiring UN member states to freeze the assets of people on a UN list of suspected al Qaeda and Taliban associates [materials]. The High Court rejected the Orders because they were not subject to parliamentary scrutiny before they came into force. BBC News has more. Reuters has additional coverage.