Britain must not outsource torture

BRITAIN has long had to give up the notion that it is a superpower – but the country should insist that its military and security forces do nothing that would make a mockery of the idea that it is a bastion of human rights.

Unfortunately, the latest report from Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) makes disturbing reading.

Its members investigated the handling of detainees and found the “UK tolerated actions, and took others, that we regard as inexcusable”.

A key concern is UK participation in the US policy of “rendition” – whereby detainees were transported to another country for imprisonment or interrogation.

This is one of the most morally troubling aspects of the so-called war on terror. Why would a country which prides itself on its human rights record transport detainees to states where torture is commonplace?

There were 232 cases in which the UK knew or suspected that detainees were abused. It is not surprising that the Conservatives’ Ken Clarke is now calling for an independent inquiry.

The committee concluded: “That the US, and others, were mistreating detainees is beyond doubt, as is the fact that the agencies and defence intelligence were aware of this at an early point.”

There were “13 incidents where UK personnel witnessed at first hand a detainee being mistreated by others”.

However, it is far from clear that the committee has been able to uncover the full truth. Its members wanted to hear from the officers who were involved at the time but reported that the “Government has denied us access to those individuals”.

This is ridiculous. Unlike other parliamentary committees, the ISC holds the majority of its hearings in private so as not to jeopardise national security; its members routinely handle highly classified material.

It is deeply concerning that they have not been able to stage as thorough an investigation as they sought. Equally, while it is positive that ministers must be informed if a foreign agency is known to be torturing a detainee of interest, it is “astonishing” – to use the committee’s expression – there is no agreement on who is responsible for “preventing UK complicity in unlawful rendition”.

We must never allow the UK to be a country that outsources torture, or is wilfully blind when its allies do just that.