Torture inquiry to investigate UK-Libya rendition claims

PM says Gibson inquiry will examine extent of intelligence-sharing by British secret services with the Gaddafi regime David Cameron has asked the Gibson inquiry into alleged UK complicity in torture to be widened to examine the extent of intelligence-sharing by British secret services with the Libyan Gaddafi regime, including rendition and torture. He will set out details of how the Gibson inquiry will look into the allegations in a Commons statement updating MPs on the fall of the Gaddafi regime. Jack Straw, who was foreign secretary in the previous Labour government, said he welcomed the development but said he had never endorsed any secret programme of rendition or torture by the intelligence services. Straw said the inquiry could look into allegations that the security services may have been involved in operations without his knowledge or permission. The prime minister’s spokesman responded to the uncovering of a tranche of documents in Tripoli showing the intimate links between British intelligence and Libya by saying the Gibson inquiry was well placed to look at the allegations. He said current British ministers have not seen the documents, and it was not entirely clear what they signified. He added the terms of reference of the Gibson inquiry would not need to be changed to include the new Libyan allegations. The Gibson inquiry has been stalled by the refusal of some lawyers to co-operate with it and by the need for some civil cases to be completed first. This opens the possibility that the Gibson inquiry will look into Libyan allegations first since they are not subject to UK civil court cases. The papers were found in the offices of Moussa Koussa, Libyan’s head of intelligence services, who defected to Tunisia and then to Britain in late March. Downing Street said Moussa Koussa had not been given immunity from prosecution, but stressed he had been free to leave the UK. The documents show the UK provided intelligence to Libyan authorities in 2004 on Abdul Hakim Belhaj, who is now a commander with Libyan rebel forces. Britain was interested in gleaning intelligence on Belhaj because of his membership of the proscribed Islamist group the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which had links with a-Qaida. He was delivered to the Libyan authorities by the US after being captured in Bangkok. He is now head of the military council in Tripoli, showing the extent of possible Islamist influence in the new regime, and the unpredictable nature of relations between the regime and the UK. Belhaj has claimed he was tortured by the CIA in Bangkok. Straw pointed out that the intelligence and security committee, a select committee set up by the prime minister to oversee the accountability of the security services, examined allegations of British complicity in torture in 2007, and found no evidence. Straw said he did not know if the new allegations were credible, but said “these allegations must be examined in very great detail. It is very important that they should be These allegations are a very great source of concern to anyone, including myself. “The position of successive British governments was very clear and that was they we were opposed to unlawful rendition and any use of torture. Not only did we not agree with it, nor were we complicit in it and we did not turn a blind eye to it,” Straw added. He pointed out that the intelligence and security committee had itself pointed out that Straw had rejected some MI6 planned operations, showing the concern he had shown on the issue. “I did not just tick submissions,” he said. He added Britain’s desire to weaken al-Qaida “would never ever have justified our connivance or complicity in the use of torture, and it did not”. Straw raised the possibility of senior intelligence figures keeping operations from him by saying “no foreign secretary can know all the details of what its intelligence agencies are doing at any one time, and that is why it is important these allegations are examined by Sir Peter Gibson’s inquiry”. He defended the principle of the general co-operation between the British government and Libya on the basis that it led to Libya abandoning weapons of mass destruction voluntarily in 2003, describing this as “a major step to a more peaceful Middle East”. Libya Middle East Africa Torture Human rights Muammar Gaddafi Moussa Koussa David Cameron Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 5, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.