Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Foreign Office refuses to help investigation into Britain's role in US torture and kidnappings

Foreign Office refuses to help investigation into Britain's role in US torture and kidnappings

THE Foreign Office has allegedly refused to help Scottish police with an investigation into British complicity in US torture and extraordinary rendition, drawing criticism from human rights groups today.
Police Scotland have been investigating the potentially unlawful use of airports in CIA rendition flights since 2013, which saw suspects secretly detained and transferred to foreign interrogation sites where they were tortured.

It is believed that airports, including Glasgow’s Prestwick, have been used as refuelling stops for such flights, including the rendition of Saifull Paracha, a 73-year-old still being held at Guantanamo Bay.

This summer, SNP Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf called on Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to “formally make representations to the US government” to access the unredacted version of a US Senate report into CIA torture and rendition for the purposes of the investigation.

But Mr Yousaf told the Herald that his request had been refused by the Foreign Secretary in September, despite the dossier containing information “potentially vital” to the police investigation.

The report by the US Senate committee on intelligence, released in 2014, accused the CIA of torture in the years following September 11 2001.

However, only a redacted 525-page summary of the 6,700-page document has been published.

In a letter to the Foreign Office in July, Mr Yousaf said: “We have, in the past, sought confirmation that UK airports were not used for extraordinary rendition flights and that assurance was found to be inaccurate when the US government finally disclosed the use of Diego Garcia for one such flight.

“I am therefore inclined to seek the report itself, which should be a true and accurate picture, than to seek verbal assurances.”

The British government admitted in 2008 that two flights carrying detainees stopped at Diego Garcia, a British territory in the Indian Ocean.

Human rights group Reprieve said that the Foreign Office should be “ashamed” of its refusal to help Scotland Police with the ongoing investigation into torture complicity.

Director Maya Foa said: “Without obtaining this vital evidence from the US government, Police Scotland cannot hope to uncover the truth.

“The Scottish government must keep fighting for justice on behalf of those who were rendered: people like Saifullah Paracha.”

Tracy Doig, head of accountability at Freedom from Torture, accused Mr Raab of “an obstruction to truth and justice,” adding that it was “also typical behaviour of recent governments that have sought to block scrutiny and oversight of this dark chapter in our history.”

The Foreign Office refused to comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
×