Foreign Office report on human rights skims over UK record

March 18th, 2010

Focus, partnership and joined-up advocacy in defence of human rights – the UK Foreign Office’s lost vocation, as revealed by the diplomats’ own annual report. Rohan Jayasekera comments
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Binyam Mohamed: full judgment revealed

February 26th, 2010

A court ruled today that the full draft judgment of its ruling on the case of former Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed, including sections the Foreign Secretary had attempted to suppress, should be published.
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Miliband forced to reveal secret torture evidence

February 10th, 2010

Miliband forced to reveal secret torture evidence in Binyam Mohamed case. Index on Censorship party to key test of open justice
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Judges “irresponsible” in Binyam Mohamed case

December 14th, 2009

Lawyers for the foreign secretary, David Miliband have branded two senior judges “irresponsible” for wanting to disclose intelligence material related to allegations of torture involving the CIA and the UK’s alleged collusion. Jonathan Sumption QC, appearing for the foreign secretary, told the Court of Appeal the stance taken by High Court judges Lord Justice Thomas and Mr Justice Lloyd Jones could “seriously damage national security”.  The foreign secretary is appealing against six high court judgments ruling that CIA information on Mohamed’s treatment, and what MI5 and MI6 knew about it, must be disclosed. The appeal is being opposed by both Mr Mohamed and media organisations. The case resumes tomorrow and is due to last three days. Read more here

Binyam Mohamed: victory for open justice

October 16th, 2009

In a landmark judgment, the High Court has ruled that information on Mohamed’s treatment should be released, despite the objections of the Foreign Office. Index on Censorship reports
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Binyam Mohamed: Foreign Office attempts to file ‘secret evidence’

May 1st, 2009

Index on Censorship has learned that government lawyers are attempting to submit secret evidence on the treatment of former Guantanamo prisoner Binyam Mohamed, as the Foreign Office continues to attempt to prevent the release of potentially damning information about his detention.

In a letter to the judges presiding over the case, Lord Justice Thomas and Mr Justice Lloyd Jones, the Treasury Solicitor has claimed that a Public Interest Immunity certificate could be necessary for any further evidence submitted by the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband. This would allow the Foreign Office to supply evidence to the court in secret, on a basis not open to challenge or scrutiny.

The government is fighting an application by international media organisations, including Index on Censorship, to obtain the release of seven paragraphs that were redacted from an earlier judgment concerning Mohamed’s treatment at the hands of US officials. The Foreign Office had claimed that any release would endanger future intelligence-sharing arrangements with the US, a claim Mohamed’s lawyer, Dinah Rose QC, has described as ‘seriously misleading’.

Read the government letter here (pdf)

‘We expect a bias for freedom’

April 22nd, 2009

In a stirring and provocative speech at the Freedom of Expression awards, Sir David Hare presented a challenge for Index on Censorship, and all free speech advocates
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