Post by cammy on Jun 30, 2009 6:35:27 GMT 1
Fresh allegations that Afghans captured by British soldiers have been mistreated by security forces are so serious they should be the subject of a full high court hearing, government lawyers have admitted.
The move follows investigations earlier this year by the Royal Military police into four detainees who were handed over to the Afghan authorities by British troops. The police visited Pol-e-Charki jail in Kabul after the prisoners complained about being beaten and, in two cases, electrocuted.
Their case was taken up by Maya Evans, a British anti-war activist, and Public Interest Lawyers, a private law firm. Government lawyers brought in to investigate the allegations have told the Ministry of Defence that it has a case to answer, the Guardian has learned.
The prisoners, accused of criminal offences, are identified only as A to D . Prisoner A says he was beaten when he was held in an Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) facility in Kabul last year. He said he had been punched and hit over a period of more than two months. The prison guard who allegedly beat him is believed to have been dismissed. Prisoner B says he was subjected to stress positions and sleep deprivation. Prisoners C and D say they suffered electric shocks and were beaten with a leather cable.
The Red Cross has been told about the incidents which took place in late 2008 and early 2009 when the military police and Foreign Office officials were denied access to Afghan detention centres. As a result of the investigations, British forces have been told not to transfer any more captured Afghans to the NDS.
The Guardian has also learned that British troops reported the mistreatment of Afghan prisoners at an NDS facility in Sangin, north of Helmand province, earlier this month. British soldiers saw the prisoners when Afghan security forces asked them to help transfer them to another prison. The prisoners were given medical treatment by the soldiers.
The incidents are particularly serious given the British attempt to conduct a "hearts and minds" campaign in southern Afghanistan. The allegations had been passed on to the Afghan authorities "at a very senior level", said a British official, who said there was no evidence that the incidents were part of systemic mistreatment.
Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers said: "The government has admitted that it has transferred to the Afghan authorities individuals who have been tortured. This policy is clearly in breach of fundamental principles of international law".
The armed forces minister, Bill Rammell, said: "We recognise the sensitivity of arrest operations. We have put in place rigorous safeguards to ensure persons arrested by UK forces and transferred to Afghan authorities are treated properly."
(Cammy Say's)<><><> I do not condone the use of excessive force to gather information, but, i also hope that none of our troops ever get captured, because they all know if they did, they would be subjected to [glow=red,2,300]FULL[/glow] on [glow=red,2,300]Torture[/glow], & eventually beheaded
The move follows investigations earlier this year by the Royal Military police into four detainees who were handed over to the Afghan authorities by British troops. The police visited Pol-e-Charki jail in Kabul after the prisoners complained about being beaten and, in two cases, electrocuted.
Their case was taken up by Maya Evans, a British anti-war activist, and Public Interest Lawyers, a private law firm. Government lawyers brought in to investigate the allegations have told the Ministry of Defence that it has a case to answer, the Guardian has learned.
The prisoners, accused of criminal offences, are identified only as A to D . Prisoner A says he was beaten when he was held in an Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) facility in Kabul last year. He said he had been punched and hit over a period of more than two months. The prison guard who allegedly beat him is believed to have been dismissed. Prisoner B says he was subjected to stress positions and sleep deprivation. Prisoners C and D say they suffered electric shocks and were beaten with a leather cable.
The Red Cross has been told about the incidents which took place in late 2008 and early 2009 when the military police and Foreign Office officials were denied access to Afghan detention centres. As a result of the investigations, British forces have been told not to transfer any more captured Afghans to the NDS.
The Guardian has also learned that British troops reported the mistreatment of Afghan prisoners at an NDS facility in Sangin, north of Helmand province, earlier this month. British soldiers saw the prisoners when Afghan security forces asked them to help transfer them to another prison. The prisoners were given medical treatment by the soldiers.
The incidents are particularly serious given the British attempt to conduct a "hearts and minds" campaign in southern Afghanistan. The allegations had been passed on to the Afghan authorities "at a very senior level", said a British official, who said there was no evidence that the incidents were part of systemic mistreatment.
Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers said: "The government has admitted that it has transferred to the Afghan authorities individuals who have been tortured. This policy is clearly in breach of fundamental principles of international law".
The armed forces minister, Bill Rammell, said: "We recognise the sensitivity of arrest operations. We have put in place rigorous safeguards to ensure persons arrested by UK forces and transferred to Afghan authorities are treated properly."
(Cammy Say's)<><><> I do not condone the use of excessive force to gather information, but, i also hope that none of our troops ever get captured, because they all know if they did, they would be subjected to [glow=red,2,300]FULL[/glow] on [glow=red,2,300]Torture[/glow], & eventually beheaded