Outrage over £30m torture hush money

[AtW]

I'm sorry, you didn't answer my question, I'll ask it again. Exactly what law did HMG break?

Being complicit (not refusing to take part, notifying public about it etc) in activities that appear to be torture etc.

[Incognito]

British, national and international laws, UN, Geneva convention, moral, ethical...
Torture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There appears to be evidence that we knew people we sent out there were going to be tortured.

Really, evidence or hearsay. The distinction is very important. Of course when Mad Mullah's been captured he's going to scream bloody murder, now all of a sudden he's a UK citizen.

Also, at the time Guantanamo was opened, waterboarding was not proscribed as torture by the US administration. Infact, the UN only started getting twitchy about it in 2008. So again, what law did the UK break?

I very much doubt there was anything written down and officially recorded. The UK very publicly operates a don't ask policy for that very reason.

[AtW]

Really, evidence or hearsay. The distinction is very important. Of course when Mad Mullah's been captured he's going to scream bloody murder, now all of a sudden he's a UK citizen.

He is a UK citizen - that's fact.

If Govt thought it could win case in court it would not pay £30 mln for sure - that's enough money to keep even expensive lawyers going for some time.

[minestrone]

Really, evidence or hearsay. The distinction is very important. Of course when Mad Mullah's been captured he's going to scream bloody murder, now all of a sudden he's a UK citizen.

Also, at the time Guantanamo was opened, waterboarding was not proscribed as torture by the US administration. Infact, the UN only started getting twitchy about it in 2008. So again, what law did the UK break?

I very much doubt there was anything written down and officially recorded. The UK very publicly operates a don't ask policy for that very reason.

They were tortured, there is no doubts about that.

[manclarky]

Also, at the time Guantanamo was opened, waterboarding was not proscribed as torture by the US administration

Made legal by the US president G.W.Bush after advice from his CIA lawyers

[Mich the Tester]

They were tortured, there is no doubts about that.

No, no, no, they were 'waterboarded'; that's not torture, that's 'enhanced interrogation'. Get it right boy!

Source; Ministry of Truth (Minitrue), Orwell (G), London, 1984

[SupremeSpod]

He is a UK citizen - that's fact.

If Govt thought it could win case in court it would not pay £30 mln for sure - that's enough money to keep even expensive lawyers going for some time.

The Government does not want this to go to court as it would not be in the national interest.

The price agreed for this "accommodation" is £30m.

**** all to do with who did what to whom with what and when or why.

End of.

[Incognito]

What law did these people break?

They were tortured for years without a crime being placed against them. A simpleton like you who professes to doing a law degree (cos you failed to make the grade first time round) should understand the idea of guilty until proven. Or do you not understand that you cretin?

Actually you chimp, if you read the thread you'll have seen Mitch's initial statement:

"Inevitable consequence of the British and US governments choosing to break the law." My question was simply asking him to state exactly what law had been broken. Have you even seen me mention the morality side of the issue at all.

He is a UK citizen - that's fact.

If Govt thought it could win case in court it would not pay £30 mln for sure - that's enough money to keep even expensive lawyers going for some time.

Bollocks, it's (a) cost conducive to just pay the settlement, because even if HMG won, how on earth would they recover legal fees outlaid (more than £30m) (b) HMG does not want to disclose intelligence operational data.

[TimberWolf]

Really, evidence or hearsay. The distinction is very important. Of course when Mad Mullah's been captured he's going to scream bloody murder, now all of a sudden he's a UK citizen.

Also, at the time Guantanamo was opened, waterboarding was not proscribed as torture by the US administration. Infact, the UN only started getting twitchy about it in 2008. So again, what law did the UK break?

I very much doubt there was anything written down and officially recorded. The UK very publicly operates a don't ask policy for that very reason.

Even, for the sake of argument, we were not sending UK citizens abroad to be tortured, it's hardly a credible defence to say it's okay for us to send someone to be tortured because s/he's foreign.

Bush made some kind of amendment to his laws for his own purposes for waterboarding, but that's the US's problem to deal with and not what you asked. I believe torture has been illegal in the UK for centuries.

[The_Equalizer]

Depending on what kind of torture was inflicted, £2m doesn't seem bad. Then again, if it involved sharing a cell with a big hairy bugger HMG can keep their cash and I'll hang on to my liberty thanks.