Whitehall Held Secret Review Into 15 Possible Cases of Torture or Rendition

Dan Sabbagh, Guardian: Fifteen potential cases of torture or rendition involving British intelligence at the height of the “war on terror” were examined last year in a secret Whitehall review, whose existence was revealed in court proceedings on Tuesday. None were deemed by officials to have involved British spies being party to human rights abuses – a decision that is being challenged by two MPs and the human rights charity Reprieve as part of a high court judicial review.

Lawyers acting for the former Conservative minister David Davis and Labour’s Dan Jarvis want to overturn a decision by Theresa May to ditch a promise to hold a judge-led inquiry into the involvement of British intelligence in torture and rendition following 9/11. Ben Jaffey QC, representing the MPs, told the high court that the existence of the 15 torture or rendition files had only emerged in a witness statement made by an MI6 officer known only as AA as part of disclosure proceedings. “This material is central to the case,” Jaffey said. “There are fifteen potential cases that might require further investigation. But the government’s view is none of them in fact do – and there is no detail about any of them.”

Read more: Dan Sabbagh, Guardian, https://is.gd/jPMlDu