United Kingdom: Human rights commissioner urges independent inquiry into counter-terrorism abuses

Council of Europe
Sep 4, 2018 · 2 min read

Human rights commissioner Dunja Mijatović, has urged the United Kingdom to allow an independent investigation into detainee mistreatment and rendition since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Today, Mijatović published her letter to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, in which she urges the UK Government to “initiate a judge-led inquiry.”

“I believe that agreeing to such an inquiry would be a very constructive step for the United Kingdom and for the protection of human rights while countering terrorism in Europe more generally,” writes the Commissioner.

“A new and full inquiry can ensure all necessary lessons of the past are learned. It would also send out a positive signal to other Council of Europe member states facing similar challenges, a number of which are also still to provide a full account of their involvement in rendition and secret detention programmes in the post-9/11 era.”

The letter of the Commissioner for Human Rights follows the results of the inquiry of the Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), published on 28 June, which indicated that many questions around the United Kingdom’s involvement in cases of secret detention, torture and ill-treatment during the CIA-led war on terror “remain unanswered and uninvestigated.”

Council of Europe

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