Dear Mr Sturdy,
I am writing to you to ask that you take action to secure an independent
public inquiry into UK complicity in torture and rendition. There is clear
evidence of UK involvement in both torture and rendition since 2001, including
in the aftermath of the Afghan and Iraqi wars.
Recently Theresa May’s government apologised for the government’s role
in the rendition and torture of Abdul-Hakim
Belhaj and Fatima Boudchar in Ghaddafi’s Libya.
Last year the government stated that it ‘condemns torture in all
circumstances’, and issued a call for ‘governments around the world to
eradicate this abhorrent practice.’ If the Government is to prevent any such
cases arising in the future, and is to speak with moral authority against
torture overseas, a full public reckoning into the UK’s own involvement in
these practices is essential.
In 2010, the UK Government promised such an independent public inquiry
into UK complicity in torture and rendition. However, over eight years later
the Government has failed to deliver on this promise, and has instead allowed
only a narrower, restricted study by the Intelligence and Security Committee.
This investigation was not public and did not have full access to vital
information, including the cases of Abdul-Hakim and Fatima.
Last week, a cross party group of MPs and Peers, led by former Lord
Chancellor, Ken Clarke, wrote the Prime Minister to demand that an independent
judge-led inquiry now be established.
I am therefore asking that you add your voice to this growing
cross-party consensus and write to the Prime Minister, demanding that the
Government deliver on its original promise, and hold an independent judge-led inquiry
with access to any information that it needs.
Please support this initiative to ensure that the UK is never again
involved in rendition or torture.
Best wishes
Tom.
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