01/03/2013 00:00
TW
0

by RAY FLEMING
THE first words that Binyamin Mohamed spoke after he arrived back in Britain from Guantanamo Bay earlier this week were used to express his dismay on realising “that the people who were torturing me were receiving questions and materials from British intelligence.” That is a very serious accusation to make but such is the murk of suspicion that hangs over everything connected with Guantanamo Bay it is not likely to be answered satisfactorily until the governments of the United States and Britain are more open about Mr Mohamed's case than they have been so far.

It seems that an American report on his treatment exists and is in the possession of the British government. It was referred to in a related High Court court case two weeks ago when the judge said he was not able to make its contents known because he had been warned by the Foreign Office that to do so would create problems with Washington over intelligence co-operation. The Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, defended his position on withholding the American report while at the same time reiterating that Britain neither practises nor condones torture. Binyamin Mohamed's accusation is probably only the first of many that will become public in several countries as inmates of Guantanamo Bay are released to make its early closure possible. Britain should therefore set an example of openness in dealing with his case instead of trying to cover up the truth of what has actually happened to him.