Torture warnings pushed aside for Britain to join US in 'war on terror'

[Solly Mack]

The "war on terror" had barely begun when senior ministers in the Labour government became aware that it was to be a harsh and brutal affair, involving fundamental breaches of international human rights law, it was revealed today.

Previously classified documents, disclosed in the high court, show that the government was warned repeatedly in January 2002 that British citizens were possibly being tortured after capture by US forces in Afghanistan, that the US was planning to hold some indefinitely without trial, and that British military lawyers were complaining about breaches of the Geneva conventions.


Evidence has since emerged that the government knew the US was mistreating and torturing UK nationals and residents in January 2002 and for years afterwards, but did not seriously protest about it. Other evidence, notably in the case of Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian-born British resident, shows that MI5 co-operated with the CIA while that agency was indulging in mistreatment and torture.

[spanone]

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