London, February 21: Britain’s human rights watchdog called Saturday for an urgent independent probe into claims that the security services were complicit in the torture of more than 20 of its terror suspects.
The call came a day after a court heard that police were already investigating allegations that the services were complicit in the abuse of Britain’s last remaining Guantanamo Bay detainee.
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission made the call in a letter to Justice Secretary Jack Straw.
“Torture contravenes UK and international law and the values that Britain upholds,” commission chair Trevor Phillips said.
“Ministers and government agencies are facing very serious allegations of knowing that UK citizens were being tortured, failing to take action to stop that torture and supplying questions to be used in the interrogation of men who were subjected to a high level of ill-treatment.
“Given the UK’s role as a world leader on human rights it would be inexplicable for the government not to urgently put in place an independent review process to assess the truth, or otherwise, of these allegations.
“The government must take the opportunity of an independent review to be as open and transparent with the public as possible.”
On Friday, the High Court heard that British detectives had applied for the release of secret documents related to their inquiries about Guantanamo inmate Shaker Aamer, held at the US detention camp on Cuba since February 2002.
Aamer’s lawyer Richard Hermer said police had gone to the London offices of his solicitors, on Wednesday.
“It became apparent they are now investigating allegations raised by Mr Aamer into the alleged complicity of the UK security service in his mistreatment,” he said.
Aamer, 42, was born in Saudi Arabia but is a permanent British resident and is married to a British national who lives with their four children in London.
His lawyers told the court last year that government documents included evidence that British intelligence officers were present on at least two occasions when he was tortured but failed to help him.
Reacting to the Aamer case, the Foreign Office said it involved “a lot of unsubstantiated allegations.”
“We do not accept allegations of UK involvement or ‘complicity’ in his mistreatment. We firmly reject any suggestion that we torture or mistreat people or ask others to do so on our behalf,” said a spokesman.
He added: “We have made strenuous efforts on Shaker Aamer’s behalf… We have maintained our requests for the release and return of Mr Aamer to the US government at the highest levels.
“This is a decision for the United States, and there is no guarantee that we will be successful,” he added.
Friday’s court revelation came a week after a judge ordered the disclosure of torture evidence in the case of a former Guantanamo detainee, drawing criticism from US authorities.
In last week’s case, involving British resident Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian national, the released documents showed that he had been shackled and told he would “disappear” if he failed to cooperate with US interrogators.
Since the ruling in the Mohamed case, British newspapers on both the right and the left have accused the government of seeking to cover up its involvement in the torture of terrorism suspects.
Britain’s foreign minister David Miliband has rejected the charges.
“There is no truth in the suggestion that we are complicit or cooperate in the outsourcing of inhuman treatment,” he told the BBC.
British airport body scanners may breach rights
Full body scanners introduced at two British airports may breach human rights, the country’s equality commission warned Tuesday.
In a letter to the government, the Equality and Human Rights Commission said scanners introduced on February 1 at London’s Heathrow and Manchester airports could run counter to the right to privacy in European law.
“While we acknowledge that there is a legitimate aim for this invasion of privacy… we remain seriously concerned whether the intrusion is in accordance with the law,” wrote commission chairman Trevor Phillips.
The right to privacy comes under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The commission expressed support for the authorities’ review of security policies but warned it would be the “ultimate defeat” if this eroded freedoms.
“National security policies are intended to protect our lives and our freedoms, but it would be the ultimate defeat if that protection destroyed our other liberties,” wrote Phillips.
The scanners also risk breaking British anti-discrimination laws, said the commission.
“Without proper care, such policies can end up being applied in ways which do discriminate against vulnerable groups or harm good community relations,” said the commission.
The body felt it was likely some criteria used to select people to be scanned like “religious dress, destination, nationality or national origin, would also have an unlawful… discriminatory effect,” said the letter.
Britain plans to roll the scanners out to other airports but the commission said it had “serious doubts” that would this would comply with the law.
The transport ministry said it tried to ensure security measures were “legal, proportionate and non-discriminatory” and denied there were criteria to select people to be scanned.
A spokesman said officials had “been absolutely clear that those passengers who are randomly selected for screening will not be chosen because of any personal characteristics.”
He added the ministry had “published an interim code of practice which addresses privacy concerns in relation to body scanners.”
The United States has accelerated installation of body scanners at airports.
Britain is among several European countries, including The Netherlands, installing the scanners.
—Agencies