Court ruling on UK torture evidence proves that governments cannot escape exposure

The Court of Appeal's ruling compelling the Government to reveal evidence of its role in a British resident's torture shows that no government should be allowed to escape public scrutiny.

For over a year, the Government has refused to have its record scrutinised.

The Medical Foundation (now Freedom from Torture) for the Care of Victims of Torture (MF) welcomed news that three of Britain's most senior judges dismissed Foreign Secretary David Miliband's efforts to suppress evidence of MI5 complicity in the torture of Binyam Mohamed.

For over a year, the Government has refused to have its record scrutinised. Finally, CIA documentation now published by the Foreign Office attests to the fact that British agents knew the extent of Mr Mohamed's treatment while held at Guantánamo, which "could readily be contended to be at the very least cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment".

The MF is calling again for a full public inquiry, coupled with a commitment from the UK government to sign up to international mechanisms for investigating torture claims.

"We work with thousands of torture survivors from around the world denied justice because of the secrecy maintained by those responsible for their torture," said Simon Carruth, Chief Executive of the MF.

"For 25 years, we have amassed an archive of documentary evidence based on the testimonies of victims of torture. Time and again, those people remind us that the only certain outcome when governments stoop to torture is individual pain and the global erosion of our moral standing.

"Torture should be exposed wherever it takes place and should never be covered up for the convenience of governments. Mr Mohamed, his legal representatives and the press should be commended on their tenacity and diligence in helping to expose the truth that the UK government has been so eager to conceal."