Britain discloses secret data on detainee abuse

[Mary]

Britain was forced by an appeals court Wednesday to reveal a long-secret description of how a former terrorism suspect was beaten, shackled and deprived of sleep during interrogations by U.S. agents.

 

Ethiopia-born British resident Binyam Mohamed was arrested in Pakistan in 2002, and says he was tortured there and in Morocco before being flown to Guantanamo Bay and charged with plotting with al-Qaida to bomb American apartment buildings.

 

The seven-paragraph description is a judge's summary of classified information shared by the CIA with the UK's MI5 intelligence service during Mohamed's questioning in Pakistan in May 2002.

 

British government has repeatedly denied complicity in torture, and claimed that revealing the information would damage U.S.-British intelligence cooperation.

 

Mohamed's lawyers claimed the seven paragraphs prove that the U.S. and British governments were complicit in extracting evidence against him through torture. They have been fighting for access to the documents along with The Associated Press and other news organizations.

 

Guess the US wasn't the only nation torturing detainees.

[safeway56]

I think you'll find that most of the Telegraphistas on here would approve of the torture of these dusky fellows.

[observer]

Not quite Mary; I believe "complicit" means they knew it was happening, but allowed it to continue (bit like "joint enterprise"!); which in a way, is even more despicable than actually administering the torture oneself. Believe we did a topic on here about "extrordinary rendition" by the CIA, where suspects were being kidnapped from various parts of the world and transferred to client "torture" States for interrogation; it was a fair assumption at the time that MI5 was "complicit" in these activities, despite the usual denials from Gov Ministers.

[harry hayes]

This one went too far, but it's a funny old game. No matter what anyone says, Queensberry rules don't apply in very serious games.

 

Alls fair.........

 

Happy days

[Egbert]

But did it go too far? All I've heard about the case is talk of sleep deprevation, being shackled, etc. No actual physical torture. They didn't put the thumbscrews on the guy.

I've not followed the case but it seems to me that in the present situation where the whole civilised world is threatened, not by some legitiate government, but by loose canon groups of terrorists with no allegiance to anyone but themselves, that we have to fight back on their terms. And if that means hard-line methods of interrogation, that's too bad. They started playing rough so they can't complain if we do the same.

If we are to defeat terrorism, we are not going to do it with one arm tied behind our back.

[safeway56]

Sleep deprivation is indeed torture. If you were kept awake you would die in around 5 days.

[Peter T]

Are they going to admit anything when arrested?

"Did you plan to blow the plane up?"

No sir. That's ok then, we will let you go Mr Bin Laden.

Thank you. Can I have my explosives back?

[observer]

Do you not think for one second, that most folk, under the threat of torture will voluteer any information they think their captors want to hear - whether true or not - thus you can't trust in the end the information you've been given.

[Egbert]

Not as simple as that, Obs. It's whether the information fits into the larger jigsaw. I agree information from a prisoner must always be suspect, whether obtained through torture or not. But they often give away things without realising they have done it.

[Bazj]

The same man who came here from Ethiopia to claim asylum and then before it was granted, cleared off to Afghanistan to get over his drugs problem and see a muslim country with his own eyes!! The fact that Afghanistan was in the middle of a war with the UK and America didn't put him off.

 

He was finally arrested at Pakistan airport trying to board a flight to the UK with a false passport. And we now welcome this guy with open arms and a private jet flight from the US?

 

We really are bloody mad in this country. Why didn't he fly back to Ethiopia because toture or no torture he still has no bloody right to be here

[harry hayes]

We seem to hold inquiries at the drop of a hat in this country, just to appear civilised and appease minorities.

 

I know little about torture in the way it is meant on here, but would take issue with Obs on the quality of info given under "torture" and would say that such information is usually true. At my mostly local level even things like with-holding a ciggie , served its purpose.

 

Happy days

[Wingnut]

Oh no! Please Harry, not the Bisto Kid treatment with the ciggy.

[harry hayes]

I remember the Monty Python torture with the feather dusters That's the way some people would want to go, but there's a balance in all things.

 

Happy days

[observer]

OK H. that was really below the belt, "witholding a ciggie", now that's really cruel and inhumane treatment - " what do you want to know?" They've used torture throughout history, usually to obtain a confession of treason or heresy; amazing how many folk signed to avoid the rack and thumb screws, just to get the light relief of being partly hung, then disemboweled and quartered! Think the original topic arose from the fact that the UK IS not a torture State, has a Government in denial about it, and thus would be hypocrits to benefit from it.