Human rights groups threaten to boycott Torture Enquiry
Waltzing Matilda | 24.02.2011 16:09 | Repression | Terror War
Human rights groups threaten to boycott inquiry set up by David Cameron to examine Britain's involvement in torture and rendition since 9/11 because they argue that the high level of secrecy to be afforded to the security services will necessarily stifle proper scrutiny of their activities
Human rights organisations are threatening to boycott an inquiry set up by David Cameron to examine Britain's involvement in torture and rendition since 9/11 because they fear it will not be sufficiently independent, impartial or open to public scrutiny.
The inquiry due to be headed by Sir Peter Gibson, was announced last July, by the coalition government. At issue is a concern that the credibility of the inquiry risks being undermined by the high level of secrecy which it appears (surprise, surprise) will surround the hearings – at the insistence of the intelligence services whose activities are being scrutinised.
Doubts have surfaced following a series of meetings between Gibson, a retired judge, and representatives of nine rights groups including Liberty, Amnesty International and Reprieve. NGOs say they are concerned that Gibson's inquiry will fail to meet the UK's obligations under the European convention on human rights, specifically standards in regard to official investigations into torture, most pertinantly the need for a mechanism independent of government to decide what evidence should be made public, and powers to compel evidence.
David Cameron ordered the inquiry after a series of damning court judgments detailing MI5's knowledge of how Binyam Mohamed was being tortured before one of its officers questioned him, and mounting media reports of terrorism suspects being questioned by MI5 and MI6 officers after being tortured in secret prisons around the world.
Reports were denied by former Foreign Secretary David Milliband of the last Labour government for a long while until the government lost an appeal court hearing to stop the disclosure of secret information relating to the alleged torture of UK resident Binyam Mohamed in February 2010. Gibson is expected to examine the degree of ministerial oversight of such operations and the extent to which ministers and intelligence agents were complicit in torture and illegal "rendition" of terrorism suspects from one country to another.
Scotland Yard is conducting an investigation into allegations that an MI6 officer was involved in the mistreatment of one detainee, who has not been publicly identified.
A separate police investigation resulted in Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, concluding that there was insufficient evidence to press charges against the MI5 officer who interrogated Binyam Mohamed, adding however that a "wider investigation into other potential criminal conduct" remained under way.
The inquiry to expected begin hearing evidence in March, which may be an indication that neither police investigation is expected to result in criminal charges.
Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/feb/23/torture-inquiry-ngo-boycott-threat
See also:
"MI5, Camp Delta, and the story that shames Britain", by George B. Mickum
The Independent, Thursday, 16 March 2006
Ref: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mi5-camp-delta-and-the-story-that-shames-britain-470074.html
And
The case of Bisher al-Rawi & Jamil el-Banna in relation to Abu Qatada and in relation to Qatada, the creation of previously untraceble links between Al-Qaeda and Hamas
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/11/468160.html
The inquiry due to be headed by Sir Peter Gibson, was announced last July, by the coalition government. At issue is a concern that the credibility of the inquiry risks being undermined by the high level of secrecy which it appears (surprise, surprise) will surround the hearings – at the insistence of the intelligence services whose activities are being scrutinised.
Doubts have surfaced following a series of meetings between Gibson, a retired judge, and representatives of nine rights groups including Liberty, Amnesty International and Reprieve. NGOs say they are concerned that Gibson's inquiry will fail to meet the UK's obligations under the European convention on human rights, specifically standards in regard to official investigations into torture, most pertinantly the need for a mechanism independent of government to decide what evidence should be made public, and powers to compel evidence.
David Cameron ordered the inquiry after a series of damning court judgments detailing MI5's knowledge of how Binyam Mohamed was being tortured before one of its officers questioned him, and mounting media reports of terrorism suspects being questioned by MI5 and MI6 officers after being tortured in secret prisons around the world.
Reports were denied by former Foreign Secretary David Milliband of the last Labour government for a long while until the government lost an appeal court hearing to stop the disclosure of secret information relating to the alleged torture of UK resident Binyam Mohamed in February 2010. Gibson is expected to examine the degree of ministerial oversight of such operations and the extent to which ministers and intelligence agents were complicit in torture and illegal "rendition" of terrorism suspects from one country to another.
Scotland Yard is conducting an investigation into allegations that an MI6 officer was involved in the mistreatment of one detainee, who has not been publicly identified.
A separate police investigation resulted in Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, concluding that there was insufficient evidence to press charges against the MI5 officer who interrogated Binyam Mohamed, adding however that a "wider investigation into other potential criminal conduct" remained under way.
The inquiry to expected begin hearing evidence in March, which may be an indication that neither police investigation is expected to result in criminal charges.
Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/feb/23/torture-inquiry-ngo-boycott-threat See also:
"MI5, Camp Delta, and the story that shames Britain", by George B. Mickum
The Independent, Thursday, 16 March 2006
Ref:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mi5-camp-delta-and-the-story-that-shames-britain-470074.html And
The case of Bisher al-Rawi & Jamil el-Banna in relation to Abu Qatada and in relation to Qatada, the creation of previously untraceble links between Al-Qaeda and Hamas
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/11/468160.html
Waltzing Matilda