OTTAWA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Supreme Court overturned on Friday a security certificate system used by the government to detain and deport foreign-born terrorist suspects.

    In a 9-0 judgment, the court found that the so called federal security certificates violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

    The certificates, introduced after the 2001 "9.11" terrorist attacks on the United States, allowed government officials to use secret court hearings, indefinite prison terms and summary deportations when dealing with non-citizens accused of having terrorist ties.

    Critics have long denounced the certificates, arguing those who fight the allegations can spend years in jail while the case works its way through the legal system.

    But the court suspended the judgment from taking legal effect for a year, giving Parliament time to write a new law complying with constitutional principles.

    The system was challenged on constitutional grounds by three men from Morocco, Syria and Algeria - all alleged by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to have ties to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. All deny any such ties.