Terror suspects 'choose torture'

[struggle4progress]

Terror suspects 'choose torture'

Press Association
Saturday January 20, 2007 9:03 PM

... Most of the men have spent five years being held in prison in Britain without charge, according to human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce.

It is believed that at least one of the men was sent back to Algeria on Saturday, although the Home Office refused to comment ...

The men feared detention and torture in their country of birth but had chosen a "quick death there rather than an endless slow death here", <Peirce> said.

She continued: "For these men there have been no convictions, no proper accusations, no knowledge of what is alleged against them and, astonishingly for most, no questioning by police to discover whether untested secret assumptions might be wrong." ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6359548,00.html

[ohio2007]

1. human rights laws say they cannot be returned to a country

where they may face torture or ill-treatment,

Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil rights group Liberty, said: "Diplomatic assurances are a farce - Algeria has signed international agreements against torture but the reports of ill treatment in that country continue."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6359548,00.html


Any other source reporting the story?

[struggle4progress]

2. Algerian terror suspects being held without trial agree to be deported (IHT)

The Associated Press
Published: January 20, 2007

The British Broadcasting Corp. reported that a total of five men had agreed to return to Algeria voluntarily.

It said the five were part of a group of 27 foreign nationals being held on the grounds they are a threat to national security, several of whom have been held in custody without trial for more than four years ...

Britain's Home Office refused to confirm whether any suspects had agreed to voluntary deportation and said it would not comment on the status of any of the 27 being held ...

The Home Office said Britain had agreed to allow the deportation of suspects to Algeria following a July meeting between Prime Minister Tony Blair and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Though the countries have no formal extradition treaty, the leaders exchanged letters of assurance to examine any deportations on a case-by-case basis, the spokeswoman said ...

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/20/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Algeria-Terror.php

[aquart]

3. Better torture than Britain.

And the British fancy themselves so civilized.

[pennylane100]

4. They can be just as bad as their friends across the pond.

[Nihil]

5. Nearly right ...

> Better torture than Britain.

Better risk torture than continue the unending illegal imprisonment
(including solitary confinement) in Britain. The guys *want* to stay
in Britain ... but as free men, not as prisoners to Blair's political
games in support of Bush.

> And the British fancy themselves so civilized.

Ever thought that "the British" are no more represented by their
current government than "Americans" are by the Bush administration?
I'm British and I think the way those people have been treated is
totally disgusting. I think the way that Blair has ignored the Britons
in Guantanemo is disgusting. I think the whole "screw the world for
profit" ideals shared by our governments is disgusting.
We're all so damned "civilized" these days aren't we?

This world is so f*cked up ...