We have surely lost - Guantanamo Bay

Compensation For Ex-Guantanamo Prisoners


 November 16, 2010
Sky News
Carole Erskine and Miranda Richardson, Sky News Online



Compensation which could total millions of pounds is to be paid out to around a dozen former detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Sky sources say.

The controversial move comes after the Government agreed to settle a series of High Court actions brought by a group of the ex-prisoners.

Some of those thought to be receiving money have accused British security and intelligence officials of colluding in their torture and abuse while they were held abroad.

There are also claims the Government knew they were being illegally transferred there but failed to stop it.

Among those said to be receiving settlements are Binyam Mohamed, Bishar Al Rawi, Jamil El Banna, Richard Belmar, Omar Deghayes, Moazzam Begg and Martin Mubanga.

Most are British citizens or British residents, but some are said to be asylum seekers.

Justice Secretary Ken Clarke will make answer an urgent question on the issue in Parliament this afternoon.

This is a very significant and highly controversial move by the Government.

Sky's home affairs correspondent Mark White

Individual payouts of hundreds of thousand of pounds are expected and there are reports one former detainee is in line to receive more than £1m.

Sky News home affairs correspondent Mark White said: "This is a very significant and highly controversial move by the Government.

"Essentially the Government has come to an agreement with a group of former Guantanamo detainees.

"British residents who claim they were unlawfully imprisoned, that the British security services were complicit in their detention and subsequent alleged torture."

The settlement followed negotiations held over the past few weeks at a secret location.

David Cameron authorised the negotiations in July after a court ruling ordering the disclosure of 50,000 confidential documents.

It is thought the Government decided to make the payouts to avoid the expense and embarrassment of the secret intelligence documents being made public.

White said: "They were taking that through the courts. David Cameron was looking for some negotiated settlement in this case."

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said the payments were "not very palatable" but there was "a price to be paid for lawlessness and torture in freedom's name".

"The Government now accepts that torture is never justified and we were all let down - let's learn all the lessons and move on," she said.

Of the former detainees, Binyam Mohamed travelled to Pakistan in 2001 and was sent to Guantanamo in Cuba in 2004 after being subjected to alleged torture by his US captors.

In October 2008, the US government dropped all charges against him and he returned to Britain last year.

Moazzam Begg was arrested on alleged terror offences in Pakistan in 2002 and spent two years at Guantanamo before being released without charge.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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