Open letter to Julian Sturdy MP on Inquiry into UK involvement in rendition and torture.

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.

Response from the college

This a response to my request that the College of policing investigate the work they are doing for Saudi Arabia as collusion with torture (that can be found here):

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Dear Mr Franklin

Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns in the complaint you made on 8 June about our work with Saudi Arabia. This challenge is welcome and we must always carefully consider who we engage with and why. We constantly evaluate and review the training we deliver and we work with countries all over the world to introduce officers to British policing methods, reinforce human rights and emphasise the democratic principle of justice for all.

Quite rightly, our decisions on whether to carry out this training must be finely balanced between the opportunities to contribute to reform and the difficulties of working with countries whose standards of human rights may be at odds with our own.

As part of this, when we receive a request to undertake training overseas we carry out a full risk and justice assessment and complete a detailed outline of the proposed work, including specific consideration of human rights issues.

We have never provided training without the authority and approval of the International Policing Assistance Brief (IPAB), who bring together government departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office, Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development to carefully consider requests for international policing assistance in line with Government policy, including the promotion of human rights. All submissions to IPAB must detail
Human Rights considerations. In sensitive cases, and particularly where there may be human rights concerns, proposals are submitted to Ministers.

Modern forensic investigation techniques can contribute to a move away from confession and witness-based convictions, thereby reducing the likelihood of miscarriages of justice. Any evidence that the skills provided have been used to violate human rights would be investigated immediately.

A full Q&A on our international work can be found here http://www.college.police.uk/News/College-news/Pages/International-FAQ.aspx

Yours sincerely
Vaughan Willmore
Strategic Planning and Public Interest Lead
College Of Policing

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I have submitted a freedom of information request for the risk assessment and submission to IPAB.

investigate the support for torture at the College of policing

This is a formal complaint against the College of Policing for undertaking work which supports the use of torture in Saudi Arabia.

The college is currently training the police in the more effective identification of suspects, in the full knowledge that many of the suspects arrested by the Saudi police will be tortured (see http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/uk-minister-passes-buck-over-saudi-police-training-during-westminster-debate/) .

Torture is one of the most serious crimes, and it is a crime to support torture directly or indirectly.  It is quite clear that the training being provided by the College of Policing is intended to lead tovarrests and that there is a very high probability that many of the people arrested will subsequently be tortured.

Please investigate this as a matter of urgency, prevent any training unless it can be demonstrated that there is no danger of the work leading to torture and ensure the prosecution of those involved in these crimes.

Best wishes

Tom.

Tom Franklin
4 Frazer Court
York
YO30 5FH

email:    tom@franklin-consulting.co.uk

Stop training Saudi Police forces that use torture - letter to Julian Sturdy MP

Dear Julian,

We have already corresponded on Saudi Arabia and weapons, but I would now like to draw to your attention the  intention of the government to support Saudi Arabia in arresting people who are extremely likely to be tortured upon arrest.  Under international law it is illegal to do anything which may result in torture, yet the government seems to be willing to allow British Police to support the Saudi Arabian police in the identification of suspects in the full knowledge that the Saudi police have used torture against such suspects on a regular basis.  The BBC quotes a government spokesperson as saying “..if it was shown that the skills learned had been used in human rights violations, the Foreign Office and the college would "reconsider the training"”.

Given that there is already a considerable body of evidence that the Saudi police use torture (see for instance https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/saudi-arabia/report-saudi-arabia/ or https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/04/26/un-committee-against-torture-review-saudi-arabia) we should be using the precautionary principle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle) and not training police officers unless it can be clearly demonstrated that the results of our actions will not lead to torture.

Torture is one of the most serious crimes that exist, and is one of the few crimes where there is universal jurisdiction, it is therefore imperative that we ensure that we play no part in supporting it, either directly or indirectly.

Please will you:

·        Write to the Home Office asking them to refuse visas for Saudi police officers to attend the police college.

·        Write to the Home Office asking them to order the police college to desist from training any police force which uses torture.

Best wishes

Tom.

Tom Franklin
4 Frazer Court
York
YO30 5FH

email:    tom@franklin-consulting.co.uk