Demanding the truth about British complicity in torture (Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats)

Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats <info@wantagelibdems.org.uk>

Demanding the truth about British complicity in torture

September 22, 2009 7:49 AM

Rendition through British territories and airspace of people abducted in foreign countries was initially denied by Government ministers

The Liberal Democrat Annual Conference has demanded an independent public inquiry into allegations of British Government complicity in torture. The call comes in the wake of recent revelations that the Metropolitan Police are now investigating MI6 as well as MI5 over allegations of involvement in torture.

Citing evidence that Tony Blair and others may have been aware of policy guidance on the issue, Conference passed a motion calling for:

· A full and independent public inquiry into the involvement or knowledge of the British Government on matters relating to torture and extraordinary rendition

· The Government to provide the inquiry with full details on each and every policy it has adopted over the last 20 years on how British officials should act in circumstances where they may risk being complicit in torture

· The immediate release of the summary of the 42 intelligence documents relating to the treatment of Binyam Mohammed

· Tony Blair not to be supported by any British or EU Government for the post of President of the European Council before an inquiry has established his role in the formulation of British policy on torture

· The Government to renegotiate the terms of its agreement with the United States over the use of Diego Garcia.

Proposing the motion, Lib Dem Shadow Foreign Secretary Ed Davey MP said: "With the police now investigating claims of complicity in torture against both MI5 and MI6, the Government can no longer resist calls for a full judicial inquiry. Ministers must not be allowed to continue to hide behind ongoing police investigations. No Government can in good conscience support Tony Blair as a potential President of the European Council while it remains unclear what his role was in the development of British policy on involvement in torture."

Proposing an amendment, Sarah Ludford MEP extended the scope of the motion to include up to a dozen other member states of the European Union, which are also suspected of complicity in illegal abduction, rendition and torture. "There is a culture of mutual protection among European states on these issues," she said. "We have all signed up to the European Convention of Human Rights, and lapses by any EU Government must be exposed and stopped."

The motion and amendment were both passed unanimously.