Shamefully, there have been no charges over torture

ONE of our Government’s most under-reported scandals concerns the use of torture. More than a decade after it became apparent we were part of the foul U.S. practice of ‘extraordinary rendition’ (the apprehension and transfer of detainees to foreign countries for interrogation), no one has been held to account and no criminal charges have been brought.

What’s worse, as PM, David Cameron cancelled an official investigation set up under lawyer Sir Peter Gibson. Then the Crown Prosecution Service mysteriously decided not to press charges in connection with the case of Abdul Hakim Belhadj, a member of the Libyan opposition to Gaddafi, who was abducted with his wife by Americans in Thailand, from where they were planning to come to Britain and seek political asylum.

So it looked like good news when Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, was appointed to chair the Commons intelligence committee and he promptly announced an inquiry into extraordinary rendition. But since then, evidence is emerging that the inquiry has been inert and sluggish.

In July, the all-party group on extraordinary rendition sent Mr Grieve a letter demanding assurances about its handling of the Belhadj case. More than three months has passed and there has been no response.

This is shameful. It would be a mark of dishonour — though no surprise — if the Grieve investigation ground into the dust.