Memorandum submitted by Mary Martini
James Cottle is my ex-husband and I have three
children with James, I know what sort of man he is and nothing
would have convinced me he was ever guilty of harming another
human being, James has not put anything into the courts yet as
the men have separate lawyers and three of the men who are with
Bindams have submitted to the appeal court, Pannone who is the
lawyer for James in Manchester is going to see how they get on
with it because of the state immunity ruling.
I watched his TV confession with shock and awe,
they were all arrested within months of each other, When Jim was
arrested I found out from a friend that he was just missing, I
rang around and rang FCO they said yes he has been detained but
we think just for alcohol offences ie drinking. I rang Riyadh
and spoke with at that time Ian Wilson the consul he didn't seem
overly worried and could not enlighten me any further as he said
originally they say alcohol charges at this point we thought maybe
a few months detention.
Then Aug 13 2001 James Cottle, Les Walker, James
Lee, appeared on TV we did not know my daughter heard a little
of it on radio in Tenerife and thought her dad had been killed,
we thought she had imagined something then I got on to FCO and
they said it will be on world news, I said what will he be on
the news for? Oh we don't know? Mr. Cottle looked tired very very
frightened, I had never in the 30 years knowing him had I seen
a man so scared we could not believe it how bad he looked and
we knew something terrible had happened, Jim is accused of the
December, January, March, blasts, Within 24 hours of the Rodway
blast, Naif hinted that a personal dispute lay behind it. We were
shocked and wondered what they had done to Jim to make him do
such a thing as to confess to a crime we knew instantly he hadn't
done.
I attended a meeting hosted by Baroness Amos
at FCO on Sept 11 2001 (day of 9/11). She said if you speak out
the men's lives would be in peril, she repeated they would be
in grave danger, well does she mean execution? I said would they
be executed, she then replied we cannot rule that out, so from
now on life is in the balance I did not realise really how severe
this was until a Government Minister makes it clear.
I sent down to the FCO evidence to prove that
James was innocent on two of the blasts he was accused of, they
were not interested.
At the meeting they went on to say that they
knew about the torture because another Briton has stated that
he was in custody and tortured repeatedly, so I thought well it
isn't as if nobody knows and it isn't like they are accusations
that are false, here my own Government are telling me, and my
son sat with me I felt for him more having to listen.
We assumed that after this meeting that Ramadam
would bring a release as it was always "Oh it will be soon"
we were never told of talks they said we cannot tell you it is
private!!
Months went by nothing not even a glimmer of
hope, I decided to speak to the Guardian in January 2002
as I felt nobody was doing anything, so I knew this now that torture
was being carried out on these men and I was now desperate to
highlight the cases. February 2002 Newsnight did a report and
the FCO were not pleased with me at all, they said I was not to
upset the Saudi's, but I knew that torture was going on what was
I supposed to do?
April, 2002 was told by FCO Jim had got 18 years
so I was told not to tell anyone I wondered how I was even going
to tell the kids, then I had to, I went on News 24 and for the
first time Jack Straw appeared and said he was concerned about
these men. But I now know that this sentencing was done before
in Oct 2001 before Lawyers were appointed, but I was told now
officially six months after the fact.
The FCO started the lies from day one, Jim never
gave any instruction to say nothing he wanted the world to know,
that's funny I thought why would Jim say that when there was no
other messages? Foreign and Commonwealth Office consular officials
visited them, and said the men made it abundantly clear that they
did not wish us to discuss the details of the case in public.
When such a view is clearly expressed, we the FCO must respect
the judgment of those who are most closely affected.
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Says the details of individual
consular cases are confidential. The British men detained in Saudi
Arabia have legal representation and discuss their cases with
their lawyers. We are in close contact with the men's lawyers
and we keep the families informed of developments in the case.
It has been the wish of the men themselves, and the majority of
the families, that we do not discuss the cases in detail in public.
Also a team of British doctors were at the ready
to go to Riyadh to see the men and this was denied by Saudi Authorities.
James Cottle says twice I was taken to court.
I had no legal representation, there were no embassy officials
present and my torturers acted as prosecutors. I tried to withdraw
my confession but the court ignored me and I was sentenced, I
denied it first then I was taken outside and threatened I had
to go back in and agree with the court I was not aware of my sentence.
But I was told I was to be beheaded and on
two occasions they came to my room and said it would be the next
day, I was waking up feeling my neck it felt so hot and sweaty,
I just thought in my nightmare I had just lost my head.
It got to the stage one time I was thinking
please behead me as I was living in a world that consisted of
pain how could I go on, I truly wanted to die as I knew that nobody
could help and realised the guards were right when they said we
can do what we like to you nobody is coming to get you out.
I have never felt such hatred as I do towards
the men responsible. The horror of what they did to me will last
for the rest of my life.'
January 2003 new year Jim went for ECG and I
was told his medication had been increased the FO went off on
Holidays and left me a week to find out these details the kids
were worried, I asked what medication he has and what for they
said We Dont Know we cannot find out?
There has never been a forensic examination
of the explosive devices used. According to British sources, the
technical expertise for such an investigation is not present in
the Kingdom.
Saudis are extremely fortunate in this regard.
Some police departments despite the fact that the Saudi Code of
Criminal Procedure contemplates the use of foreign experts when
local expertise is not available, foreign assistance has unfortunately
been rejected by the Saudi authorities. It is my understanding
(though it may not be true) that the Metropolitan Police offered
their assistance, but this was rejected. The Metropolitan Police
have extensive experience in this field and are recognized as
experts throughout the world.
US authorities (under their own idiosyncratic
law) acquired "jurisdiction" to investigate. Various
reports claimed that the bomb used in the June 29 Incident was
"similar" to the bomb used in several of the other bombings,
including the bombings which are the subject of this case. The
American authorities were asked to share information concerning
the June 29 bombing, as such information could not only lead to
the exoneration of the five defendants but lead to the cessation
of terrorist bombings within the Kingdom. They declined to co-operate
with either the defence team and it is my understanding that they
declined to co-operate with Her Majesty's Government.
An Appeal was put in by Mr Hejailan and a few
months later a Canadian journalist rang me and said the appeal
has been denied, I said no you are wrong, well he was right and
the FCO didn't have the nerve to tell us.
Also when the Iraq war started I made an inquiry
about the fact of the WMD and were the men supplied with gas masks,
Gale Jenkinson at FCO said "oh no they need special training".
HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud's words in
a BBC correspondent report when he was still chief of intelligence
he says beating of the feet is usual practice for criminals is
our law.
I myself have to still take responsibility
for James Cottle, James was tortured for 10 weeks before confessing
on TV, it seems he was tortured for a long time the reason now
that he is disabled, I have to go with James to the Hospital lawyers
and social security as he has no confidence and a short memory
to answer questions, I have seen him go into a shaking fit that
is due to the PTS disorder after seven months he has just received
his first £73 disability payment.
He was back living in the UK when he travelled
to Bahrain in June 2001 for a job offer from his former boss in
Riyadh, this was later to become clear it was a set up to get
James back a plan had been in place by Naif and he was kidnapped,
James asked was he under arrest and he was told no, he asked three
times for the British Consulate and was refused, by Bahrain authorities
they are guilty of kidnap.
He was taken across to Riyadh and handed over
to Saudi interior police he was then driven away blindfolded,
he was then in interrogation centre for 10 weeks, he was made
after many beatings to name consular officials that they were
behind the blasts, he did not know any so he was given letters
and had to guess each time it was wrong the sandal hit him around
the head once more making the inside of his mouth bleed, this
resulted in him losing teeth he now has no front teeth on the
bottom and back teeth smashed, he was allowed to rinse the blood
from his mouth.
James was 18 stone and was made to lie on his
back and lift arms and legs and keep them there if he faltered
he would get a whack with the pick axe handle, (self torture)
he was also made to stand blindfolded and hold both arms in the
air for an hour at a time he tried to put one arm down and an
explosion of pain hit his buttocks this was regular went on all
night every night and deprived of sleep so long he thought the
walls turned to water, this is all against human rights and the
world should know what those animals are doing.
After the first bout of sleep deprivation he
said he would confess if they let him sleep, so they did for a
day and a half, he woke up and he told them to get stuffed, he
was then of course tortured again every night he would be taken
up to the office, they would blindfold and shackle him and pretend
nobody was in the office but he heard their breathing, when he
was finished with at the night he would be taken back to the cell
and chained by the hands to the door, he never sat down that was
part of it.
He went for weeks denied a bath or clean his
teeth and had to eat the cold food with the same hand he wiped
his backside with (no paper) he felt like a dog as he was smelling
by this time, he wet himself whilst chained to the door as they
refused his request for the toilet, they laughed and jeered at
the blood dripping from his feet onto the tiled floor as they
made him walk down a corridor, his feet were now green with lumps
on and as you are feeling the pain they beat them again and again
until you really want to die, he also heard screams chilling as
he knew some other poor unfortunate was being questioned as they
put it.
He never got a hot meal and it was never enough
rice mostly and he was in solitary for 15 months of his term and
that was when he written his first letter and was allowed to share
a cell with Peter Brandon he was now in Al Haer. There is a lot
more this is only a small part as two years would fill a book.
James got evidence from Copenhagen to prove
the torture this is a world renowned clinic that uses ultrasound
to detect methods of the falanga (beating of the feet) the FCO
paid for that trip and for him to go to London medical foundation,
James is also under a doctor for his mental health he has counselling
sessions. I complained when he got home because we needed an appointment
straight away, not to go on a waiting list. I was worried as he
was leaving lighted cigarettes down the chairs and he did not
care about anything, a deep depression had set in, he needed to
talk and as he had already told me on the trip back from Heathrow
on day of release he talked all the way back when I got home I
spoke to the press and went inside and vomited it was beyond belief,
he also said there are some things so degrading he would never
tell anyone in the fear his children would find out.
It is a disgrace that Saudi is calling these
men liars, James is not vocal as he has had a bad time since his
return he has also PTS and memory loss is a problem, he has no
confidence he cannot walk far as he has lumps also on the soles
of his feet still, he has been treated badly since his return
as the FCO promised they would help them as did Jack Straw when
he rang James, he told Mr Straw he had been tortured and asked
him would he publicly say he was innocent Mr Straw said that has
to be discussed.
He came back with the skin hanging from his
bones and the FCO had told me he was well in fact he looked liked
hell. The FCO never once backed these men up publicly a the FCO
at one point gave up hope and were prepared to sit back, those
poor men rotting away James knew our Government didn't care whilst
in there and knows they don't care now, he has been made disabled
by Prince Naif and his conspirers and our Government didn't get
them out they left them, Saudi knew one of the men at some point
would have died, I was told when James retracted his confession
that he was barely able to lift the pen, and the British Consul
told me while my son was present in London that James was sobbing
and crying does this tell you they were treated well, I rang the
UN and spoke with Greg Mayne he told me the men were not doing
well hence the report by Param Curamswarmy.
When the men were released we were told that
Saudi said they would not put them on the flight that day if press
got a sniff, we were scared someone would find out but I see now
that it was the FCO who put out a press release thanking Saudi,
we were in no position to disagree with the contents they made
that clear.
For a person at the FCO to also keep families
apart and tell the other families that I myself was dangerous
is beyond belief, to also stop HRW from contacting me shows the
FCO were conspiring to push this under the carpet.
Also when Salah Hejailan was taking the men's
cases the FCO said they don't know him and I said well if you
give me his name I can look it up on the internet, they had no
phone number to give me, I knew they lied when I wanted to go
to meet Mr Hejailan in London a few months later they told me
he wasn't in, he was in when I rang and I got the train the next
day and had a meeting with him and his Son Sultan Hejailan, why
didn't they want either contact with lawyers or families to be
in contact because as we all got together we had all asked the
FCO to pass on each others numbers and we all found out that they
didn't do this, they were making statements on my behalf and that
was out of order they handled this with the incompetence you would
find in a cartload of monkeys.
Through the despair and frustrations of the
failings of our Government my daughter tried to take her own life
in 2002 as this nightmare seemed to go on and on, she is 24 years
old and there was no hiding the awful truth that she and us truly
thought that James would die in there, I know he has a steel plate
already in his foot.
Our Ministers knew this was going on and as
I had waited for them to offer a strategy none was ever discussed,
they were afraid to even then upset Saudi as they pointed out
that we must not do that, James told consular staff over there
what happened but they didn't want to know.
When I myself met with Mr Straw in February
2003 he told me not to rock the boat and that this would do him
no good to bring this up in the House? He also told me that Saudi
were the ones who hold the key, in other words he was powerless,
I asked him did Guantanamo bay have a bearing and he said no there
are only 2 Saudi's in there and Saudi does not care about them,
I also mentioned the FBI investigation he then promised me he
would deal with it, a few days later they had forgotten about
this, Still no strategy I then accused Mr Straw himself along
with Tony Blair that they didn't want to fall out with Saudi because
of the Oil and the coming war with Iraq, I also handed Mr Straw
the UN report after their visit to see Mr Cottle as he had just
told another relative that it didn't exist, also HRW ! didn't
get into the prison to see the men when they went as the Saudi's
said the men had been moved just for that day?
Lady Symons sent a letter to Lawyers here in
Manchester saying we cannot use the word innocent on any letters
for future employment of the men we can only go as far to say
that convictions were unsafe? What does that mean?
These Men have nothing and James has a lifetime
maybe of his weekly disability pay. In December 2003 the FCO rang
James and said HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud want to meet
but without Lawyers, FCO said no press we don't want it either,
Al Turki said he was going to discuss compensation, a letter then
had to be sent to the Embassy and Al Turki was to send the letters
to Crown Prince Abdullah as protocol says we must request a meeting?
Then recently Al Turki changed his mind, the FCO had been optimistic
about these discussions they said they had with Al Turki.
Mary Martini
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