British Territory Must Not Be Used for Torture

(London, December 31, 2002) — The British government must ensure that the United States does not torture suspected al-Qaeda detainees held on the island of Diego Garcia, part of British Indian Ocean Territory, Human Rights Watch said today. In a letter to U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Human Rights Watch referred to U.S. press reports that the U.S. was detaining and interrogating al-Qaeda suspects at a U.S. facility on Diego Garcia and that U.S. interrogations reportedly include practices that violate customary and conventional international law prohibitions against torture and mistreatment.

“British officials should not look the other way if the U.S. is abusing al-Qaeda suspects on British territory,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “Leasing land on Diego Garcia to the U.S. does not allow the U.K. to ignore its obligation to prevent torture.”

In the letter to Blair, Human Rights Watch cited international treaty obligations that require all governments to take effective measures to prevent, investigate, and punish torture occurring on territory subject to their jurisdiction.

Last week, Human Rights Watch urged U.S. President George W. Bush immediately to affirm that the use of torture is contrary to U.S policy, to investigate the reported allegations of torture and mistreatment of al-Qaeda detainees held by the United States, to adopt all necessary measures to end any such torture or mistreatment, and to prosecute those responsible for such abuse. Human Rights Watch's statement to President Bush can be found at http://hrw.org/press/2002/12/us1227.htm