19 June 2006

Sir - Tony Blair's support of the Saudis is understandable, but his claim to be doing so in the interests of international law is absurd.

The law lords reached their decision only because his government has not updated legislation to reflect what international law already assumes, namely that it is the responsibility of all nations to bring torturers to justice.

I am writing as a victim of torture in Greece in 2001 and have seen how another European state, for the past five years, has made a travesty of its international agreements to avoid taking proper responsibility for the actions of its men in uniform.

It is time the international community agreed on a clear definition of torture and a binding prohibition of it.

This farcical judgment is an opportunity for the Opposition, if the Government will not, to take the lead and demand a better and a safer future.

Necati Zontul, Chipping Norton, Oxon