I was sacked for opposing – within the Foreign Office – a secret UK government policy of cooperation with torture. Not only was I sacked, I was charged with eighteen reputation wrecking allegations, ranging from sexual blackmail through financial impropriety to alcoholism, of all of which I was eventually cleared. Throughout this process and still today, the Government claimed I was lying about the policy of collaboration with torture.
They never denied any of the detail of my evidence, but rather attacked my “credibility”, which aided by the corrupt press/media nexus was sufficient to keep my information out of the mainstream.
Now the Guardian has irrefutable evidence that what I said is true, and there was indeed a secret policy of torture which implicates the top of the British political, diplomatic and intelligence establishments. Simon Jenkins nailed the extent of this a year ago, although I think I am entitled to point out there was at least one senior UK civil servant who actively tried to stand against it – me.
Ian Cobain at the Guardian deserves huge kudos for tenaciously tracking down this evidence for many years. I am delighted he has succeeded. It proves my own testimony is absolutely true.
But it also demands an answer to a key question – how much did Sir Peter Gibson know of this secret policy of collaboration with torture, when he was Commissioner for the Intelligence Services?
There are only two possibilities – either he knew, in which case he may himself be criminally culpable, and certainly cannot head the inquiry into the matter. Or this secret policy was kept hidden from the Commissioner himself. Either way it should be a huge story. Why is nobody asking?
I have today sent the following email to the Inquiry, following up my earlier submission of documentary evidence:
My dear Sara,
I have not as yet decided to join the boycott of the inquiry by human rights groups. I have the strongest desire to help the establishment of the disreputable truth on this matter. But there are a couple of questions I need answered before I can make up my mind:
You will have doubtless seen the new revelations yesterday and today in the Guardian of key policy documents revealing a policy of cooperation with torture to obtain intelligence, despite known illegality. I need to know whether Sir Peter Gibson ever saw the documents referred to by the Guardian, in his previous role with the intelligence services.
This is a vital question. If he did see these policy documents in his previous position, he is indelibly compromised and I suggest that you too may wish to consider whether you wish to continue to be associated with this process.
Secondly I need to know whether the documents I have sent to you were among those provided to the inquiry by the Foreign Office, if not if they have subsequently been provided, and whether they will be published by the inquiry unexpurgated?
Craig Murray
Baah.
The Crown/British government addressed allegations of UK complicity in torture by issuing a blanket denial: the government and its agencies did not “participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment”. They avoided addressing specific allegations, however, and did not disclose that they were quoting from a document (recently revealed by the Guardian) which offered MI5 and MI6 officers a means of extracting information from people being tortured.
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Note, then, the major redactions in the case hearing notes of the 2008 appeal of Salahuddin Amin. The redactions refer (I believe) to the UK security services complicity with Amin’s torture at the helm of the Pakistan ISI.
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The relevant case hearing notes are here:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/43gd2ey
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This case is rarely mentioned, however it forms the construed nub of the UK terrorism storybook.
When I refer to ‘This case is rarely mentioned’, I mean the overall case of Salahuddin Amin. The first legal hearings concerning the Salahuddin Amin case are here:
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2006/4.html
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[note that Keir Starmer QC, who represented the media (Times/BBC/Guardian) at the December 2005 Amin hearing subsequently became the Director of Public Prosecutions & the head of the Crown Prosecution Service on 1 November 2008].
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Note the prevalence of the phrase ‘in camera‘ in the hearing notes.
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“in camera” means ‘in secret’, or [hardly] ‘in the public interest‘………
I can’t remember the exact detail, but Starmer came up with some ridiculous rubbish when he decided to let off Baroness Uddin. You would seriously struggle to even try and make this stuff up, but he did! He always looks completely constipated when I see him on TV reading out his preprepared fairy tales. I reckon that on the nights before his orations are due robed men turn up at his house. They then pack him full of the stinky bullshit that he will soon be spewing up to the British public. This parasite needs to resign pronto in my opinion!
Part of the psychological science of torture is to alternate extreme pain with respect and comfort. Even if Simon Jenkins and Dominic Grieve expose the whole matter, it will only be in order to disarm the British public and the world and fragrance the stink a little. Then the attack against Islam will resume in full force again.
Craig,
Is there now enough material in the public domain for you to sue for wrongful dismissal? Or is that option no longer open to you?
Now let’s await the deluge of placemen and placewomen in the media coming out with justifications, ameliorations, emolliations, qualifications and aggression. One fully expects propagandists like Con Coughlin to ‘do their duty’ in this regard.
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So, Craig was right, and they were wrong. Ten years of truth and lies. Well, the world knew this.
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So, they lied many times over, they were engaged fully in criminal policy and actions and now they are trying to cover it up. Whitewash – what else, frankly, did we expect? It’s good that the whitewash is obvious and shameless, rather than subtle, because now everyone can see it for what it is. The evidence is so damning, ‘subtle’ would not have been sufficient.
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Now, how about indicting (at least) the instigators of mass murder, the ‘Commanders-in-Chief’, Anthony Blair and George W. Bush for trial at the ICC?
Referring to the Prime Minister’s Letter to Sir Peter Gibson 06 July 2010 we note the following which confirms certain requirements as directed by the Privy Council – It must be acknowledged that the Privy Council can be described as the most influential body on matters of national interest that relate to the security of the Realm.
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1. We note the paragraphs:
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I [agent Cameron]will recommend the appointment of Dame Janet and Mr Riddell to the Privy Council to Her Majesty The Queen.
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..the Government will ask this Inquiry to begin as soon as possible ..once sufficient progress has been
made in settling ongoing litigation.
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(a) In an inquiry of this kind, it is of fundamental importance to protect national security.
(b) Almost all of the operational intelligence detail will need to be reviewed in closed session.
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This is a non-statutory inquiry. [That means it is not an Inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 nor will it fulfil any obligation under article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.]
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Finally here is the controlling statement that will void any meaningful analysis of Britain’s involvement in torture.
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It is particularly important that international intelligence sharing understandings [Britain/American]are not undermined in the course of the Inquiry.
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Because I have been involved with families in Basra, Iraq, whose members have been tortured and killed, I have asked the ‘inquiry’ who was responsible for ordering British SAS caught posing as Arabs and shooting Iraqis in the occupied city of Basra in southern Iraq. They were also witnessed driving an Iraqi car, wearing Arab clothing, and carrying explosives with the intention of planting a bomb intending to harm civilians.
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http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=972
Sara Carnegie to whom Craig wrote is the Solicitor to the Detainees Inquiry and was also the Solicitor to the Baha Mousa Inquiry.
http://www.detaineeinquiry.org.uk/people/inquiry-secretariat/
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Alun Evans the secretary was Director of Communication to the Deputy Prime Minister, meaning Prescott I assume!!! Now that was a tough job.
Sir William Gage the Chairman of the Baha Mousa Inquiry will report in September. The costs of the inquiry so far are £12.5 million. The costs of Blair’s crimes in human and financial terms are quite extraordinary.
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http://www.bahamousainquiry.org/costs/index.htm
While Sir Peter Gibson chairs this inquiry into secret torture it is going to be a whitewash. Craig’s email to Sara Carnegie is very clever. If Gibson saw the documents released to the Guardian he has to resign from the inquiry. If he claims not to have seen them as Commissioner of Intelligence he wasn’t doing his job, and is therefore not fit to preside over the inquiry. If he stays, the inquiry can have no credibility. No wonder civil rights’ groups are boycotting it!
John,
Thanks, I thought it was pretty cunning too!!
Pingback: Craig Murray: UK Secret Torture Policy « Peace and Justice Post
I have been reading the FCO Annual Human Rights Report 2003
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http://fcohrdreport.readandcomment.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/human-rights-report-2003.pdf
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‘This report sets out how the Government is advancing the cause of human rights across the globe. Nowhere are we seeking more to promote this cause than in Iraq, despite all the current difficulties…….’
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‘I am proud of the role Britain is playing to help Iraq emerge into the light of freedom……….’
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‘We will continue to work with the international community to address such injustices. We act out of a strong conviction that human rights are not the preserve of the privileged few but are a global public good. I don’t pretend that the international community is close to securing universal respect for human rights. Fifty-five years after its adoption, the ideals enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have yet to extend to every corner of the world. But as this report shows, there are some grounds for optimism.’
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‘I commend this report.’
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Signed Jack Straw
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p31 Uzbekistan – Torture is a serious problem in Uzbekistan, and we lobbied on numerous cases at senior levels.
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I just clicked on the Gibson inquiry for a link to something else and saw that already £255,000 has been spent yet nothing has happened.
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http://www.detaineeinquiry.org.uk/administration/costs/
Mary, thanks for the link. Torture was big in Egypt as well as well arbitrary detentions and keeping people in without trial for years and years.. Yet Hosni was a great friend of us, remember free holidays Tony had courtesy of Hosni??? load of hypocrites, self serving SOBs all of them.
They court Karimov to no end, interesting to see when the tide will turn and he will have no use for them.
Meant, they will have no use for him!, I wonder where he will end up?? in Saudi Arabia or South America???
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