HR 144: Letter to the Chairman of the Committee from the Secretary of State for

Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

 

 

Alleged complicity in torture by the Security Service and SIS

 

Thank you for your letter of 2 April regarding an article published in the Daily Telegraph on 28 March.

 

Let me first state clearly that the Government takes all allegations of mistreatment very seriously, and investigates them as appropriate. If any cases of potential criminal wrongdoing come to light, the Government will refer them to the Attorney General to consider whether there is a basis for inviting the police to conduct a criminal investigation. In addition, individuals who believe their human rights have been infringed as a result of actions carried out by or on behalf of any of the intelligence Agencies can of course take their cases to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

 

You ask when FCO officials and Ministers first became aware of the cases discussed in the Daily Telegraph article of 28 March. Much of the information outlined in the article is contained in the Intelligence and Security Committee's (ISC) 2005 report into the handling of detainees by UK intelligence personnel in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Iraq. As outlined in his Statement to the House of Commons of 18 March 2009, the Prime Minister has asked the ISC to consider any new developments and relevant information since this report and their 2007 Report on Rendition. Beyond the information contained in the 2005 report, it is not clear from the article to which specific cases it may be referring.

 

More generally, it would inappropriate to enter into speculation or commentary on the work of the Attorney General or the police.

 

I look forward to appearing before your Committee next month.

 

 

19 April 2009