"Cruel Britannia" report claims torture link with Pakistan (Roundup)

Nov 24, 2009, 15:12 GMT

   London - A human rights group Tuesday accused the British government of complicity in the torture of five British nationals held by the security agencies of Pakistan between 2004 and 2007.

   The organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in London that a five-year study had provided 'credible evidence' that British officials were aware of the abuse.

The 46-page report, entitled Cruel Britannia: British Complicity in the Torture and Ill-treatment of Terror Suspects in Pakistan, is based on interviews with the men, their families and lawyers.

   'While there is no evidence of UK officials directly participating in torture, UK complicity is clear,' it stated. 'The UK government was fully aware of the systematic use of torture in Pakistan,' it added.

The British government has repeatedly said that it does not condone torture, but has so far refused to investigate allegations of torture of terrorism suspects.

The most prominent case is that of Binyam Mohamed, a British resident who returned from Guantanamo Bay early in 2009 alleging that he was tortured in Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan.

His case, which is not part of the HRW report, is currently subject to a criminal investigation by Scotland Yard into whether Britain's MI5 security service was complicit in his ill-treatment.

Like the men cited by HRW, Mohamed has said British officials were present, passing questions to Pakistani officials 'for use in interrogation sessions.'

The HRW report outlined the cases of five Britons held in Pakistani custody on suspicion of terrorism during the period in question. They were Salahuddin Amin, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Rangzieb Ahmed, Rashid Rauf and a fifth man who wished to remain anonymous.

All were arrested in Pakistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks, some on tip-offs from British intelligence services.

The ex-detainees reported having suffered sleep deprivation and said they were beaten, chained, injected with drugs and threatened with sexual abuse, HRW said.

It quoted Pakistani sources as saying that British intelligence agents were 'aware at all times' that the men were being 'processed in the traditional way.'

   'British intelligence and law enforcement colluded with and turned a blind eye to the use of torture on terrorism suspects in Pakistan,' said Ali Dayan Hasan, South Asia researcher at HRW.

   British officials knew that Pakistani intelligence agencies 'routinely used torture, were aware of specific cases and did not intervene,' he added at a news conference in London.

Four of the victims described meeting British officials while detained in Pakistan, the report said. In some cases this had happened shortly after sessions in which 'clear and visible signs of torture,' including the removal of fingernails, were evident.

One Pakistani intelligence source told HRW that British and American agents involved in one case were 'not just perfectly aware that we were using all means possible to extract information - but grateful that we were doing so.'

HRW called for a 'a full and independent public inquiry with subpoena powers' to investigate the claims of collusion.

'The evil of terrorism does not justify participating in or using the results of torture,' Hasan said.

Until an inquiry was held and those responsible were brought to account, 'Britain's reputation as a rights-respecting nation will stand tarnished,' he added.