Back in 2005 Jack Straw – the then Foreign Secretary – was asked “Have you ever read any documents where the intelligence had been procured through torturous means?” Straw replied “Not to the best of my knowledge…let me make this clear…the British government does not support torture in any circumstances. Full stop, we do not support the obtaining of intelligence by torture, or its use.”
Craig Murray, who was the British Ambassador to Uzbekistan from August 2002 to October 2004, knows otherwise. The British Government had sought to prevent the publication of his book – ‘Murder in Samarkand’ – where he makes reference to government documents which indicate that our government knowingly received information extracted through torture. Yet our government says it ‘does not support torture’ – Yeah Right!
In the Guardian this week, three British citizens have accused MI5 of colluding in their torture. After having endured torture at the hands of one of the most vicious secret services in the world (Pakistan’s ISI) Salahuddin Amin – now serving a life sentence for conspiring to cause explosions – was prepared to do what ever he was asked. For 10 months he would be asked a series of questions under torture, and would give the answers that satisfied his torturers. This is followed by interviews with MI5. Amin says he would be asked the same questions that his torturers had already asked, and he would give the same answers. Once MI5 leaves with their answers the torture would begin again with a different set of questions.
Amin’s counsel, Patrick O’Connor QC, suggested to the jury that there had been “a tacit understanding of some considerable amorality” between MI5 and the ISI, with the British knowing their Pakistani counterparts could torture him with impunity. The war on terror, O’Connor suggested, “has led those on both sides … to share common standards of illegality and immorality”.
In February this year, after denying it for more than two years our Foreign Secretary admitted that two CIA rendition flights landed on British territory. This is tantamount to collusion in torture, complicity in torture, outsourcing torture, or at least turning a blind eye to torture.
Whatever way you describe it the law is crystal clear, under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 it is an offence for British officials to instigate or consent to the inflicting of “severe pain or suffering” on any person, anywhere in the world, or even to acquiesce in such treatment. Any such offence could be punished by life imprisonment.
I understand Amin’s lawyers are considering bringing a civil action on his behalf, I for one would like to see MI5 in the docks!
Recent Comments