“Detainee Mistreatment and Rendition” - Intelligence and Security Committee reports and our response

The parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee's (ISC) two reports on “Detainee Mistreatment and Rendition” were published on the morning of Thursday 28 June.

The reports cover British complicity in torture and ill-treatment of detainees in the wake of 9/11 and make recommendations for preventing further lapses in the UK's observance of the absolute ban on torture. 

Sonya Sceats, Freedom from Torture Chief Executive, said:

"The reports published today by the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) put beyond the shadow of a doubt the heinous fact of UK complicity in torture after 9/11 but fall far short of the full reckoning that the British public is entitled to.

Despite a scandalous decision by the Government to shield the spies who were most closely involved, the ISC has gone as far as it could to shine a light on the role of our intelligence agencies in CIA abuse and exposed flaws in the current guidance that risk perpetuating past mistakes, but it makes plain that more investigations are needed.

Now the baton must pass to an independent judge-led inquiry with the full suite of legal powers required to defeat the forces inside government trying to suppress the full truth and prevent proper accountability for breaches of the torture ban.

At this time when President Trump openly endorses torture and has placed a suspected perpetrator in charge of the CIA, it is more important than ever that Theresa May delivers on her predecessor’s promise of a judge-led inquiry to show in deeds, not just words, that Britain stands firm in its support for the absolute torture ban."