So Lord Justice Thomas and Mr Justice Lloyd have admitted that 7 paragraphs and about 25 lines of 'evidence' about Guantanamo Bay's UK hunger striker, Binyam Mohamed, seen by them and in their words, " give rise to an arguable case of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment and torture."
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The relevant paragraphs are not to be released because our Labour Foreign Secretary claims that the USA would cease intelligence sharing on terrorism with the UK that would put you and I at risk. Hang on, isn't this Obama chap now in and why does The British Embassy state this afternoon that this issue has not been raised with Obama's incoming regime?
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I am ashamed that a Labour British Government since 2001 has failed completely to uphold the moral high ground and has implicitly failed to maintain 'The Rule of Law' in regard to detainees of the USA held in Guantanamo Bay.
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Binyam Mohammed sought asylum in this country in 1994 from his native Ethiopia. Whilst in Pakistan and with his UK Passport he was arrested in July 2002 for a 'visa offence' and handed over to US FBI Officers. That remarkable process called 'extraordinary rendition' then began. He was then kidnapped and sent to Morocco and incarcerated there until Jan 2004. He was then flown to Afghanistan and thrown into The 'Dark' Prison run by the US in Kabul. In Sep 2004 he was moved to detention cells in Bagram Airbase and then moved to Guantanamo Bay where he spent 4 years and was about to be tried by a Military 'Kangaroo' Court until Mr Obama stopped the process.
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There is little doubt that he was tortured and by not insisting that he be released by the US or tried by their 'legitimate' Judicial system, our British Government has been complicit in turning a blind eye to the USA's criminal activities in its 'extraordinary rendition' programme. To its further shame, the British Government now wants to suppress evidence on the flimsy excuse that the USA might stop intelligence sharing.
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I think it is time for this Government to find some 'moral courage' and let the evidence of torture and inhumane treatment be released and thus force Mr Obama to live up to his excellent words about the 'Rule of Law'. We have been down in the gutter with the 'un-Godly' for too long and it's time to get back on the moral high-ground.
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