| Living room quarterbacking from the exemplars of probity at the UN. |
The UN's anti-torture panel has urged Britain to publish the findings of investigations into alleged cases of torture by British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan according to a report obtained by AFP. Britain should also "as a matter of urgency" review "potentially indefinite detention" of foreign suspects allowed under the 2001 Anti-Terrorism Act, the UN Committee against Torture said in draft conclusions on Britain's respect for international anti-torture rules. It called on London to report back on those issues and other concerns within a year. British officials told the Committee during a public hearing last week that a total of 17 cases involving allegations of torture and mistreatment by soldiers in Iraq had been investigated. Eight cases were dropped after no crime was established while eight others are still being investigated or evaluated and one has been put for trial. Britain "should make public the result of all investigations into alleged conduct by its forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly those that reveal possible actions in breach of the Convention," the panel said. It also called for an "independent review of the conclusions where appropriate".
Britain has said that courts-martial would be public but declined to give details to the panel of allegations which were unfounded, while other cases were still subject to legal proceedings. Investigations so far indicated "no suggestion that British armed forces have been involved in systematic abuse of human rights in Iraq," Ministry of Defence official Martin Howard told the Committee. The 10 UN experts oversee the International Convention Against Torture, which outlaws torture or cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. They insisted that "alternatives" to the indefinite detention of international terror suspects should be considered, including criminal trials of suspects or their expulsion.