Friday, July 30, 2010

Secret use agents indicted over five some-more woe cases

Attorney General Baroness Scotland

Baroness Scotland may order a new criminal investigation into the fresh claims

The Attorney General could order a criminal investigation into freshclaims that British secret service agents colluded in torture.

Baroness Scotland is considering the claims of five Britishmen held in Pakistan over the July 2005 suicide bombings in London andother plots, who have complained of being mistreated with the fullknowledge of the secret service.

Allegations that they were beaten, whipped and threatened withrape while being unlawfully detained have been brought to light by ToryMP and former SAS soldier David Davis.

Pakistani officials have claimed British officers were "directly involved" in the torture of the British residents.

The Attorney General is expected to decide this week whetherto call in the police to investigate the security services.

One of the cases involves a medical student who has returnedto Britain after being held for two months in a room opposite theBritish High Commission in Karachi.

Two British intelligence officers questioned him near the end of his detention, he said.

The man, known only as ZZ, said he had been deprived of sleep, beaten and whipped and is still traumatised.

Zeeshan Siddiqui

Zeeshan Siddiqui from Hounslow said he had been chained to a floor andforce-fed tranquilizer, and was threatened with sexual abuse

mohamed

Binyam Mohamed was allegedly tortured in Pakistan

David Davis

Former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis wrote to Baroness Scotland encouraging the inquiry

Four other cases are also being considered by the Attorney General, but all four of the complainants have been accused of terrorism offences.

The claims are a fresh blow for the intelligence services, following a Metropolitan Police investigation into the alleged torture of British resident Binyam Mohamed in Pakistan.

They surfaced in a report by Human Rights Watch, which has investigators in Pakistan.

Former shadow home secretary Mr Davis wrote to Lady Scotland in December, urging her to call a judicial inquiry into the allegations.

He said the current round of court cases would be halted by a judicial inquiry.

"I don"t buy this idea that it would be a distraction. I"d rather have an inquiry done properly and done once," he said.

A spokesman for the Attorney General said she would respond to Mr Davis"s letter this week and added there were "no plans at present to ask the Metropolitan Police to carry out further investigations".

0 comments:

Post a Comment